What is cantharidin?

Cantharidin is a substance derived from the blister beetle Cantharis vesicatoria. The Chinese have used this ancient medicine for thousands of years for a number of maladies. In the 1950's it was used in the US and other westernised countries to treat warts. However, in 1962 due to new manufacturing regulations, it lost its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA approval) and was removed from the market. This saw a decline in its use until recently where it cantharidin being re-evaluated as a viral wart remover that doesn't cause scarring.

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Source: dermnetnz.org