Natural Remedies for Basal Cell Carcinoma: Safe & Effective Options

I just discovered this wonderful site so forgive my ignorance if this topic has been extensively covered. I noticed that a lot has been written here about using Petty Spurge (euphorbia peplus) for successfully curing warts but I have been using it for several years now to treat non-melanoma skin cancers. Having grown up on the beaches of Australia, I have suffered most of my adult life from the effects of both basal and squamous cell carcinomas and have had extensive (and invasive) excisions and curettage treatments to remove frequent growths. After intense research I tracked down some Petty Spurge herb seeds from a reputable supplier and I now grow my own treatment. I still return for annual check ups with my local dermatologist (such is my paranoia for keeping this dreaded disease under control) but I have not had any need for traditional surgery since using this wonderful herb. Happy to elaborate if anyone would like more info!

My latest success is on my nose. The latest scab falling off shows pink new skin with no trace of aberrant skin, and with no white skin forming with the application of h2o2. On my nose of course I was nervous and of course everyone had a comment over the month or so that it took to finally get rid of it. I did not dig deep as I did before, but just had patience, applying the h202 day and night. When a scab formed, each time I applied iodine several times to help the new skin beneath to form.

This year, for the first time, I found a patch of Petty Spurge growing wild in my garden. I researched it and found amazing uses for it. It is actually a beautiful "weed". I applied the sap very carefully to a spot on my nose and it worked!

INTERESTING INFO

The botanical name is Euphorbia peplus. Other common names include Cancer Weed, Wart Weed, Milk Weed and Radium Weed.

Petty spurge, and all other Euphorbias, are named for a Greek physician of King Juba II (50 BC), Euphorbus, who discovered the medicinal uses of the Euphorbias. It is the only genus of plants that has all three kinds of photosynthesis, CAM, C3 and C4. "Spurge" is derived from Middle English/Old French, "to purge" due to its use as a purgative. All Euphorbias have a caustic milky sap, "latex", which can cause burning to mucousal tissues.

It has long been used successfully as a traditional remedy to treat sunspots, corns, warts, non-melanoma skin cancers (BCC, SCC), actinic keratosis, waxy growths, skin blemishes, and other common skin lesions. it is also used as a tincture to treat other conditions. It was described by Nicolas Culpeper's Complete Herbalist (1826) as “A good treatment for warts”.
It has always been used for sunspots in Australia.
In 1997, Dr Aylward isolated one of the active ingredients, a diterpene ester called Ingenue mebutate, which he discovered was toxic to rapidly replicating human tissue.

Clinical trials of Picato, a gel derived from milkweed sap, suggests it is effective at stopping lesions turning into skin cancer. And, an Australian company called Peplin Biotech is conducting research and developing a gel from the sap of Euphorbia peplus as a simple topical treatment for certain skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. According to Peplin Biotech, the sap penetrates the skin and destroys the malignant tissue.

There are several ways to use Petty Spurge to treat BCC.

RAW SAP:

Pick a fresh stem and wait for the white sap to exude and apply 1 drop only to the lesion (avoid surrounding skin). Apply 1-2 times daily for 1-7 days, usually 2-4 days. Can cover with a bandaid and leave overnight. Note: some have noted they had to repeat the treatment to completely clear out the infection.

Each day use a fresh stem.

Some people mix it with aloe vera gel (50:50,70:30) in which case it might take longer (weeks to months) to resolve though with much less irritation. Apply a thin layer to the affected area only.

When using the raw sap, if there is abnormal growth, there is a strong reaction to the sap. The area will fester, redden, and scab which eventually falls off leaving fresh pink skin. At this point, aloe vera gel can be applied to aid healing.

There are a few points that need to be applied when using the raw sap:

1. When plucking the stems to extract sap, choose the small stems first. The first time you use it only use a tiny dot of the sap, to see how you react and how the lesion reacts.

2. IMPORTANT
Wear gloves and do not allow the sap to get onto your fingers, lips, eyes, nose, genitals or onto healthy skin. Care must be used not to allow the sap onto unaffected skin or anywhere near the eyes. THIS IS IMPORTANT. The eye can be affected more seriously by inflammation because it is easily scarred and cause loss and clarity of vision. It is toxic if ingested and will cause blistering wherever it is applied. If even a tiny dab gets in your eyes, it can cause excruciating pain, redness, swelling and even blindness. Take care not to inadvertently rub your eye when handling the sap. Sweating, rubbing or washing may inadvertently carry the sap into the mouth or eyes causing causing inflammation and scarring.

Congealed latex is insoluble in water though can be removed with an emulsifier such as soap and milk.

3. Apply the sap only to the most prominent and specific tissue only.

4. The lesion should be cleaned with soap and water and dried before applying the sap.

5. Do not over treat. Once or twice per day is more than enough. If the area starts to bleed discontinue. Most people apply it once daily, usually at bedtime.

6. It is recommended to see a doctor or alternative healthcare specialist before self-treating.

A typical sequence of healing is listed below. Obviously it will vary a lot, depending on what you are treating, the severity, your state of health and age, and other conditions.

Day 1: Redness surrounding the lesion, sometimes mild localised pain.
Days 2-3: Swelling, red area spreads. There may be some level of pain from the lesion.
Days 4-5: lesion may ooze or form a crater.
Day 6. Lesion starts to dry, no pain, there may be some itching.
Day 7. Scab starts to form.
Days 7-14. Scab heals and falls off.

Do not pick at the scab that forms. It will delay healing, may cause infection, and may cause a scar. It is tempting to pick but let it come off on its own.

Keratosis. When treating keratoses, on day 4 erythema (redness), flaking/scaling and crusting may peak.

VARIOUS DIY SALVES

Apply a thin coat to the affected area daily until resolved.

1. Petty Spurge sap, Wheat germ oil, Grapeseed oil, Mango Butter, Vitamin E.

2. Petty Spurge Sap, Sorbolene (emulsified coconut wax).

3. Petty Spurge 3%, aloe leaf juice, coconut oil, almond oil, emulsifying beeswax, Vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate), Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), Vitamin D (ergocalciferol). All ingredients are organic.

COMMERCIAL GELS

There are several companies that make a cream from the sap, some are sold on Amazon (e.g., PhytoMedx Suphorbia Cream). The active ingredient in Euphorbia peplus sap is ingenol mebutate, which has been approved by the FDA in the United States of America for use as a gel on skin lesion. Treatment appears to involve applying the gel 0.05% once daily for two or three consecutive days to the surface of the BCC or SCC lesion.

Study:

Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5.2. Petty Spurge (Euphorbia peplus (L.))

The latex of the lactiferous petty spurge contains toxic diterpene esters such as ingenol mebutate. A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy of 0.025% and 0.05% ingenol mebutate gel compared to placebo in 200 patients with actinic keratoses. The topical products were applied once daily for three days. Both ingenol mebutate concentrations were highly effective (75% and 100% clearing, versus 0% clearing with placebo). Ingenol mebutate induces a localized necrosis of the treated skin, followed by an inflammatory response, crusting and subsequent clearing of the treated area. Scar formation was not observed [53] (LOE-A). These results were confirmed in another randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study [54] (LOE-A). Ingenol mebutate gel was approved in 2013 as a prescription drug (150 µg/g gel and 500 µg/g gel).

RESEARCH

Recent research into Petty Spurge has shown that a wide range of cancer cells is acutely sensitive to this substance.

In many studies, the Active Ingredient: Ingenol Mebutate -
is an activator of Protein Kinase C which is a key factor in the treatment of cancer.
In laboratory experiments against leukemia cells lines, Ingenol Mebutate (Ingenol-3-angelate) was found to be both selective in targeting leukemia cells and that the leukemia cells are highly sensitive to the small doses being applied.
in laboratory trials with skin cancer in mice, 3 daily topical applications resulted in significant clearance.
intermediate clinical trials (Phase IIa) against Sunspots (Actinic Keratosis) resulted in significant clearance.
Phase I/II clinical trials show that the sap from Petty Spurge resulted in significant clearance of human non-melanoma skin cancers.
Caution: Petty Spurge sap is toxic and should not be used internally.

An interesting study found uses for other cancer types:

Anticancer Drugs. 2007 Mar;18(3):357-62. doi: 10.1097/CAD.0b013e3280149ec5.
Proceedings of the First International Conference on PEP005

Steven M Ogbourne 1, Peter Hampson, Janet M Lord, Peter Parsons, Peter A De Witte, Andreas Suhrbier

PMID: 17264770 DOI: 10.1097/CAD.0b013e3280149ec5
Abstract

The sap of Euphorbia peplus, commonly know as 'petty spurge', 'radium weed' or 'milkweed' has been used for centuries as a traditional treatment for skin conditions, including warts, corns and cancers of the skin. Documentation of its use by medical professionals to treat basal cell carcinoma (BCC) dates from the early 19 century. Individuals who participated in a 1988 survey of home treatments for cancer indicated the sap of E. peplus was an effective cure for actinic lesions leading the investigators to suggest that this potential utility should be further explored in controlled clinical trials. The fractionation of the sap E. peplus using solvents of varying polarity yielded several macrocyclic diterpenes, many of which were found to have cytotoxic activity or the ability to influence cellular differentiation. Ultimately, ingenol 3-angelate (I3A) of PEP005, emerged as a promising potential new anti-cancer treatment. Here we report the proceedings from the First International Conference on PEP005, covering the exciting potential of PEP005 as the therapeutic agent for the treatment of skin cancer, leukemia and bladder cancer.

Just saying. I don't think that what they call BCC is cancer. I think it's a fungal infection.

Within a few days they went from red to pink and were no longer smooth but matched the texture of the rest of my skin. Now three to four weeks later they are faded pink, almost completely gone.

I made the solution by cutting an eggplant into 1" pieces, stuffing them into a jar, and adding apple cider vinegar to cover, then let it sit for a while (at least a week, probably longer), shaking the jar whenever it occurred to me.

It is now 21 month post above treatment and my forehead is mostly free of spots until I get to my hairline, both top and side of temples where I was not able to apply ACV part of this routine. My thinking is that the treatment was effective, but just out of interest and 2 spots possibly still there, I'm planning to repeat it next week to see if my skin reacts differently. If there is still evidence of BCC I would not do this treatment again but would try Curaderm.

To summarise:

I applied VCO/BS (Virgin Coconut Oil/Baking Soda) combination 2x daily all over my forehead up to my hairline and for the first few days treatment was very painful. Immediately after first application skin looked terribly red and inflamed. Washed it off before retiring and applied 1/2 strength ACV dressing for 1-2 hours (stings considerably for a while) before sleep and repeated this first thing in the morning before applying again VCO/BS.

Continued this treatment for about 3 (maybe 4) weeks. Occasionally applied fresh aloe vera to support healing. Pain subsided at end of first week and slowly over time redness and inflammatory-look disappeared too. The one spot on bridge of my nose was not treated with ACV but has also disappeared. A friend (84) who was diagnosed with BCC treated it with colloidal silver, that she makes herself, and that was also successful.

Thanks to all of you who are sharing experiences and blessings of good health to all.

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the bloodroot approach but would like to learn more about that if you have time to elaborate?

Like you, I use the Petty Spurge sap for 3 days straight and - like you - find the 3rd day to be the most uncomfortable, albeit a mild discomfort when compared to the surgical "cut & stitch" alternative I endured multiple times over previous years!

I live in Western Australia and have found the plants thrive from the fall through to spring. They don't enjoy our long hot summers very much but seem to endure and self-seed regardless. A truly remarkable herb that seems to need very little care and attention once propagated. I've also had limited success collecting the sap and preserving it.

I did find a cottage business here that seems to have done this - although I think they may have added sorbolene to increase the volume.

Interestingly, I discovered this little plant after being prescribed a topical treatment called "Picato" by my dermatologist. One small tube allowed for 3 treatments and cost me A$140! It worked well, but I figured to treat all my BCC's over time would amount to thousands of dollars, so I researched the key ingredient in Picato and found it to be "ingenol mebutate" - and guess what the key component of Petty Spurge sap happens to be?

I know you can find the plant growing in the wild but as I was not well versed in identifying it, I located a reputable supplier and invested all of A$12 for a healthy batch of seeds. I now have a long term supply growing in my backyard.

Now one big word of caution, do NOT use hyaluronic acid near that tumor! Hyaluronic acid makes the body tissues more easily breached by cancers which choose to go metastatic.

A very simple and safe cancer treatment is dmso applied several times a day. Wipe on with your clean finger NOT a Q-tip because of the glues used on the Q-tip being in contact with dmso.

Now one more caution. Doctors scare people telling them the sun gives you cancer therefore slather on tons of deadly carcinogenic sunscreen. Woops, hmmm sunscreen is carcinogenic? You bet it is. Very carcinogenic! More than 150 brands were tested and the vast majority had cancer causing agents in the formulation. Very few were safe and effective. Some of them are loaded with nano particulates which pose a severe danger! Nano materials penetrate through skin then travel to organs, the brain, and even find their way into cancer cells. Some sunscreens even had lead and mercury in them. In lab tests many animals got cancer from exposure to various sunscreens. The fda allows virtually anything to be put in cosmetics applied externally just like it didn't soak through and penetrate the skin.

Boral of the story: Be careful what goes on you, and be careful what goes in you.

However, to kill it completely I think personally this is the way to go. We haven't tried hydrogen peroxide because he was dead against it. So, I have only used baking soda. Praying we come through this as it is kind of gross. He has two areas on his back that look like bullet or arrow wounds. I am not kidding. I feel for him and have see his bright personality go into the depths of humility really fast as the roots of this cancer is being extracted and destroyed. What a journey! Thanks for letting me sob!! :)

Turns out back in December 2010, I was premature declaring victory over the cancer on my nose. It did in fact come back once again a few weeks afterwards. I continued to fight it then, but I was unable to totally eradicate it. The problem was that the cancer had several roots and even though I'm pretty sure I got one of the roots out - the biggest one - the constant bleeding that is part of the normal attacking of the site with the h2o2 obscures the rest of the area, so that it was not easy to see where to strike these other roots residing in the same area.

After several months of this, I was becoming quite frustrated, and of course, the constant comments from family and friends everytime the new h2o2 attacks reopened the nose area leaving new scabs and worse that looked pretty horrendous, it was disheartening. Could they in fact be right - was this was finally beyond me, and did I need medical attention?

One physician treating my 94 year old mother looked at me, scanned closely, and volunteered more than once - and again as we left - that, yes, my nose needed to be looked at by a dermatologist.

Searching everywhere for new ideas, I came across Mike's (from Durham, NC) amazing report for his success Under Melanoma cures, against what may or may not have have been a Melanoma, with Melatonin mixed into coconut oil. This report by the way should be generally available on more than the melanoma site, as it applies to all skin cancers and skin issues. Mike reported success grinding melanoma pills into a powder and then a paste with coconut oil and rubbing it in.

I already had melatonin in powder in my capsules and I mixed it in coconut oil and tried it on the three sites on my nose. They succumbed within a week to ten days. It was amazing. Almost no bleeding and the white areas of unhealthy skin rubbed off each day, then every other day, eventually simply healed up with almost no fuss. I could hardly believe it after the months of constant battling and bleeding with the h2o2.

A small red spot appeared a few weeks ago and I treated it again quite easily. I at this point am declaring it finished. I still have a slight indentation - but nothing compared to the hole I had dug with the h2o2, and at least as good as the slight indentation left on the side of my forehead by the Moes surgery done by the Derm at Northwestern Med Center several years back. There's a slight color difference - slightly less pink, a little whitish in spots if you look closely - putting my face way up to the mirror, but generally it looks as normal as other slightly sun-damaged skin. You can't even tell there is an indentation actually unless you run your finger over the area, so I think I did a better job than the doctor, since that forehead indentation is visible if carefully viewed.

Thanks so much to Mike and of course for this wonderful, wonderful site which has helped so many of us help ourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypGv8E1PahU

So, to me, the ACV is what I think is the strongest factor, and the ACV, Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda mixture is the most powerful paste imho. I also use a Hydrogen peroxide & baking soda-only mixture if I want to apply a less aggressive mix to anything that looks vaguely suspicious. And I drink an occasional teaspoon of ACV in water, since I've read that can help too.

(My disclaimer: this worked for me, ymmv, and definitely check with your doctor. If it had been anywhere else on my body I might have accepted the suggested Mohs surgery and been done with it instantly...but I still keep the above paste/mixtures handy.)

I've been growing petty spurge around my home since 2009. I also grow bloodroot but of the two I prefer the spurge for ridding those skin maladies that arrive through age and exposure to the face and neck. A tiny drop of the white sap destroys the outer layer of just about any odd growth and the scab peels away in 7-days, revealing fresh new tissue. Sometimes that single droplet is not enough and the critter grows back; however, doing the same three-days in a row effectively gets to the root of deeper growths. It does ache a bit when you go that 'extra mile', in similar to a bloodroot salve.

The spurge will grow and die back at least twice each Summer. It can be grown indoors if needed for the Winter. The tiny seeds are not harmed by the intense Winters hereabouts.

Every year I attempt to harness the chemical within the plant, so as to have it available in a bottle or salve. So far, I have only managed a weak effect requiring numerous applications --the full power derived via that fresh teensy droplet from the living plant yet alludes me.

I made up my own salve from ingrediants available from wholesalers in Australia. The prepared product being too difficult and too expensive to get.

On some very old and deep lesions it is not a one off cure. You just have to be ever vigilant and apply to the spots as soon as you detect them. The biggest one covered nearly half my nose when I started. I removed it with 3 subsrquent applications. It still breaks out occasionally when I have been out in the sun with no protection, but if salve is applied as soon as a break in the skin is visible it is a quick removal with little discomfort.

I guess I have removed 20 or 30 BCC's since I started about 3 years ago. My daughter has my skin type and has als removed BCC's from her face. No knives for us thankyou!!

The doctor went over options and recommended Aldara. I got it then read the side effects and realized it might mess up my immune system, which is already messed up from longterm Lyme. I decided to go back to the derm and ask about the other options.

Meantime, I got on Earthclinic and learned about using baking soda, coconut oil, and vitamin C, among other things.
I started using those 3 for a few days but after researching studies, switched to only C (ascorbic acid) powder. (Some people say L ascorbic is better. After researching it, I think it doesn't matter, though I am not sure.)

While waiting for the Dr.appointment, did the C for two weeks (including the few days of using the other things as well).

Every day, I am putting the C on as a paste (mixing it with water) and cover it with a Band-Aid to keep light from oxidizing it. keeping it on usually 12 hours but at least 4, as per a study I read.
(I think it is also OK to leave it uncovered and put it on 3x a day.)

Outdoors during the day, I cover it with a Band-Aid whether or not the C is on it.

The C made it sting and turn red; it would fade sometimes, then turn red again with more applications of the paste.

After about a week, it seemed to melt away; a small bit peeled off. Now the area is light pink and smoother, just a little texture, and It no longer turns red from the C, sometimes a little pinker.
When went back to the dermatologist, he asked if I used the Aldara. I said no, just C. He said my skin looks fine, keep using the C, and come back in three months. He said if it is malignant, it will double in thickness during that time. He said if it does not thicken then I am fine, no more to do.
I don't think he was implying it wasn't a cancer to begin with (I am quite sure it is, as I see the "fingers.")

One thing I learned from this is that I had to buy a new bottle of C. I have a really old bottle of it, probably oxidized. As soon as I bought the new bottle, a few days into this process, it had a much stronger effect.

Having studied more, I am concerned that ascorbic acid oxidizes quickly and I may need to replace the bottle every couple weeks, but so far, it seems to still be giving me a sting, and the lesion continues to look better. I'm going to try to find more info on this.
Will update this post after I go back to the dermatologist, or sooner if anything else of note happens.

From the studies it seems that usually the tumors fully go away but in some cases there is some residual cancer even after three months. But with the more "medical" treatments don't always get it all either. This is the main study I was going by. There are a few others online, wish there were more.

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(16)30032-9/fulltext

I had a BCC removed from my left Helix and of course they wanted to do Mohs (for the money) and I decided to treat this at home.

They sent me a nasty registered letter trying to scare me into the MOHs surgery.

I am using a mixture consisting of 33% DMSO and 66% Aloe Vera Gel daily with no issues for my Helix. Time will tell if the BCC reappears.

If I had a BCC around my eyes I would use a 40% mixture of Pharma grade DMSO and distilled water as I have used these type of drops in my eyes for the treatment of macular degeneration. It will sting for a few seconds.

https://eyesurgeryguide.org/the-benefits-of-dmso-for-age-related-macular-degeneration/

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-dmso-cures-eye-ear-nose-throat

There is an Emerging role of misfolded proteins in human cancer. DMSO is remarkably effective at stabilizing and refolding proteins.

Seems like the active element in the URLs listed below is Dimethyl Sulfoxide, everyone has to make up their own mind on using DMSO. The FDA is against DMSO because it is not patentable and big Pharma controls the FDA.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35217280/

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-dmso-treats-incurable-autoimmune

https://www.dmsoandcbd.com/blog/topical-cbd-and-dmso-an-evidence-based-approach-to-skin-cancer-prevention-and-treatment

Yes, I went through the surgical approach, like you, until they started to run out of areas on my body to add new scars to!

The Petty Spurge sap topical treatments have left me scarless - although the first time I used it, I was concerned it might leave me with rather large pockmarks.

I applied the sap for 3 days straight - at roughly the same time each day. First day was an almost immediate reaction (but not painful), 2nd day was more reactive and definitely sensitive. 3rd day I almost felt I had overdone it! Once you get over the shock (and ignore too much visual contact with family & friends who suspect you might have a communicable disease! ) it really becomes very manageable. The open wounds created by the application will dry out and scabs will drop off (along with the BCC's) in a matter of days. For oversensitive skin a mild application of antiseptic cream after the 3rd day does help.

The key to this is only treating one BCC at a time. Any more than that can become quite irritating.

I have not tried alternative approaches such as black salve, eggplant extract, etc. I'm sure these are all effective in their own right as people on this forum will attest to, but for me, personally, Petty Spurge sap has been extremely effective and has helped me manage my ongoing battle with non-melanoma skin cancers with confidence.

Now this is what I know ....from my experience

This is what I am doing

UNDERSTAND THIS IF YOU HAVE A CRATER LOOKING BCC THERE ARE ROOTS AROUND IT AS WELL...YOU CAN NOT SEE THEM ... BUT THEY ARE LURKING BENEATH YOUR SKIN.

I started with the apple cider viniger, slept with a cotton ball loaded with viniger on my forehead.

Dabbed peroxide on it thu the day many times and alternate with the vinegar.

Not only do I put it on the crater itself, but around the area about two inches.

I have been doing this since July 16, 2015

THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED:

The large crater itself turned white, also bits keep coming out, another bcc appeared above the first one, this second one surfaced and is dying, around these bcc several small ones appeared, they are the roots. It looked like small dots at first..then came to the surface showing itself. The peroxide kills it because it dries it out, it cannot live, the apple cider viniger also kills it and soothes the skin.

I found that using the combo as much as possible works ...I sit and watch tv with a plastic cup and Qtip dabbing the peroxide on. I fan it to dry and add some more peroxide , 9 bcc have appeard and are dying off, just think how big of a scar I would have had if I did go for the MOHS

Depending on how long and deep the bcc is you may have a small scar, but better than a big one or having your eyes look weird because of the pull of the skin to repair your face.

I have had a basal cell carcinoma on my nose for several years. I tried ACV, Hydrogen Peroxide, Manuka honey, and Aloe Vera and some helped but then would stop working. I also tried mushed up raw broccoli with which I had the best results, but even that stopped working. Meanwhile I ended up with a large red lump on my nose, very embarassing and unsightly and so large I could see it when looking forwards.

I was at a loss as to what to do when I thought that not a lot survives surgical spirit, so perhaps it was worth giving it a go, which I did with some trepidation. It took a long while and it was difficult not to try and remove the scablike structure and just let it come off naturally. Whilst it may come back, I am happy to say that I currently have a normal nose. There is just a slight bit of dry skin that needs to repair still. Best of all a cheap remedy.

I have added blue light in the 415nm visible spectrum to the list of effective agents, on account of its ability to target gram negative bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus that hitches a ride in the fungal biofilms. A staph bacillus will inhibit the healing activity and blue light accelerates the healing process by interrupting the cell-replication signalling of the bacillus DNA.

415-460nm blue light is also effective treatment against certain strains of fungus such as the dreaded and very difficult to eradcate C. albicans.