Ammonium bituminosulfonate
A tube of medicinal ammonium bituminosulfonate (ichthyol) | |
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| Trade names | Ichthyol |
| Other names | ammonium bituminosulfonate; ammonium bituminosulphonate; bituminosulfonates |
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| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.029.485 |
Ichthammol or ammonium bituminosulfonate (brand name Ichthyol), also known as black ointment, is a medication derived from sulfur-rich oil shale (bituminous schists). It is used (sometimes in combination with zinc oxide) as a treatment for different skin diseases, including eczema and psoriasis (see below). It is applied on the skin as an ointments, most commonly containing 10% or 20% ichthammol.
Bituminosulfonates are considered topical therapeutic agents with very good tolerability.[1]
The use of ichthammol in dermatology was promoted by German physician Paul Gerson Unna.[2][3][4]
Ichthammol ointments, commonly known as black ointment or drawing salve, should not be confused with black salve, an escharotic (corrosive) paste intended to destroy skin tissue.[5] In contrast, ichthammol does not have any corrosive properties on the skin.
- ^ Schmid-Wendtner MH, Korting HC, Sterry W (2001). "Bituminosulfonate.". Therapeutische Verfahren in der Dermatologie–Dermatika und Kosmetika. Berlin, Wien: Blackwell Wissenschafts-Verlag. pp. 165–171.
- ^ Paul Gerson Unna: About Ichthyol. In: Monatshefte für praktische Dermatologie, Band XXV, 1897 (in German).
- ^ "Unna, Paul Gerson - Deutsche Biographie". Deutsche Biographie (in German). Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "110 Jahre Ichthyol-Schieferöl: Klassiker mit breitem Spektrum an Indikationen". Deutsches Ärzteblatt (in German). Deutscher Ärzteverlag GmbH, Redaktion Deutsches. 1995-03-10. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ Laskey D, Tran M (August 2017). "Facial eschar following a single application of black salve". Clinical Toxicology. 55 (7): 676–677. doi:10.1080/15563650.2017.1312428. PMID 28426257. S2CID 29076775.