Richard Saunders reports on decisive action taken against dangerous quackery.
Following her conviction in October 2025 for the unlawful advertising and supply of black salve and other unapproved therapeutic products, Belinda Gae Harris was sentenced on 16 January 2026.
Ms Harris, who trades under the cancelled business name Tickety-Boo Herbal, was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment, a community corrections order with a supervision period of three years, and fines of $20,000. She was released on recognizance of $2,000 and on condition of good behaviour for a period of 3 years, with 6 months’ supervision. She is also prohibited from making restricted and prohibited representations about therapeutic goods, including on social media.
This concludes the prosecution of Ms Harris, which followed an investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration into her unlawful conduct after receiving several reports from members of the public.
It is not the first time that the regulator has taken action against those who advertise dangerous black salve products. In 2012, the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code Council and the Complaints Resolution Panel ordered the Australian Vaccination Network Inc. and its founder, 2009 Bent Spoon winner Meryl Dorey, to stop advertising black salve. The advertising occurred on the AVN’s website via sales of the DVD “One Answer to Cancer”.
“Black Salve” is an informal name for the corrosive pastes or ointments often marketed as “natural” or alternative cancer treatments, particularly for skin cancer. They are usually made of the plant extract bloodroot (sanguinaria canadensis) which contains sanguinarine — a substance that chemically burns and destroys tissue on contact.
It is notable that the proponents of black salve often cite various conspiracy theories, such as claims that “Big Pharma and/or the Australian Government don’t want you to know about this product”.
On the contrary, black salve is well known and documented: health authorities, including the TGA, explicitly state that there is no reliable clinical evidence that black salve cures or treats cancer. Sanguinarine is also listed in Schedule 10 of the Therapeutic Goods Poisons Standard. Schedule 10 substances are considered to be so dangerous to public health that they are banned from sale, supply or even use in Australia.
Ref:
https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/conviction-unlawful-supply-and-advertising-black-salve-products
https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/safety-monitoring-and-information/safety-alerts/black-and-red-salves-treating-cancer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_salve (Warning! Confronting images)
Richard Saunders is chief investigator for Australian Skeptics Inc.
