What is Qatran?

Qatran is a thick, black, smoky tar made from the wood of the prickly juniper tree (Juniperus oxycedrus). It is a single drug of Persian and Unani medicine. You may also see it sold as juniper tar or cade oil resin.

It is used on the skin, not taken by mouth. Healers used it for itchy, scaly patches, for flaky scalp, and for skin pests such as mites and lice. The same tar has long been brushed on farm animals for skin and hoof problems.

Here is the honest verdict. There are no good human trials of Qatran itself, so we cannot say that it works. Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and that point applies to everything in this document.

Raw juniper tar also carries a real risk. It contains tar chemicals that are linked to cancer, and Europe bans the crude, unrefined oil in cosmetics for that reason. Treat it as a strong drug, not a gentle folk oil.

How does Qatran work?

No one has shown how Qatran works in people. The ideas below come from lab work and from studies of coal tar, which is a different tar used for scaly skin disease.

Tars seem to slow the fast build-up of skin cells that makes thick, flaky patches. They may also calm itching and kill some germs and mites on the skin surface.

Qatran itself has not been tested this way. So read these ideas as best guesses, not as proven facts.

What forms does Qatran come in?

Qatran comes as a thick, sticky, dark tar with a strong burnt smell. It is almost never used neat on the skin.

Common forms are ointments and creams with about 1 to 5 percent tar, medicated soaps, scalp oils and shampoos. Farm and veterinary tar is also sold, and it is not made to a standard fit for people.

Some products say "rectified" or "refined" cade oil. These have been cleaned to cut the cancer-linked tar chemicals. Crude, unrefined cade oil is banned from cosmetics in the European Union.

Where it comes from:

Qatran has been used in Persian and Unani medicine for well over a thousand years. Old texts group it with the warming, drying drugs for stubborn skin disease.

Greek and Roman writers described juniper and cedar tars in much the same way. Shepherds across the Mediterranean used it on sheep for mange and wounds, and that use continued into modern times.

What does Qatran help with?

• Thick, scaly skin patches (psoriasis-like rashes): This is the best-known use in tradition. Unani practice used tar ointments on thick, silvery patches, and coal tar is still used this way in modern skin care. But coal tar is a different substance, and Qatran itself has not been tested in trials. Treat it as untested for this.
• Long-term itchy eczema: Traditional use is to calm old, thickened, itchy skin. There are no human trials of Qatran for eczema. Tar can also sting and irritate broken or weepy skin, so it may make a flare worse.
• Dandruff and flaky, greasy scalp: Juniper tar shampoos and scalp oils are sold in many countries for flaking. Evidence is based on habit and on the wider tar tradition, not on published trials of this tar. Tar stains light hair and smells strongly.
• Scabies (an itchy rash caused by tiny burrowing mites): Old Persian and Mediterranean practice used tar on people and animals for mites. Modern medicine has safe, tested creams for scabies that work well, so see a doctor rather than self-treating with tar.
• Head lice: Folk use only. No trial has tested Qatran against lice in people. Tested lice treatments are cheap and far safer, especially for children, who should not be given tar at all.
• Ringworm and other fungal skin rashes: Lab work shows juniper tar can slow the growth of some fungi and bacteria in a dish. That is not the same as clearing a rash on a person, and no human trial has tested it.
• Skin and hoof problems in farm animals: This is the most continuous real-world use of juniper tar today. It is a veterinary practice, not evidence of a benefit in people, and animal-grade tar should never be put on human skin.

Which foods are rich in Qatran?

Juniper berries used in cooking and gin are a different product from this tar and do not contain it.

What are the side effects of Qatran?

• Burning, stinging or redness where you put it
• Dry, cracked or peeling skin
• Allergic skin rash, with itching and small blisters
• Folliculitis (small sore, pus-filled bumps around hair roots)
• Skin burning easily in sunlight for a day or two after use
• Lasting dark staining of skin, hair, nails, clothes and bedding
• A strong smoky smell that clings to hair and fabric
• Kidney irritation if a lot is used on broken skin or a large area
• Long-term cancer risk from the tar chemicals, with heavy or repeated use
• Poisoning if swallowed, with vomiting, drowsiness and breathing trouble

Good to know:

Mild skin stinging, staining and smell are common and expected. Allergic rashes and pus-filled bumps around hair roots are less common but do happen.

The serious risks come from misuse: swallowing it, using it on raw or broken skin, covering a large area, or using it for months. The cancer concern is why the crude oil is restricted in cosmetics, not a reason to panic over one careful use.

How much Qatran should you take?

• Recommended daily: There is no medically established dose for Qatran, and no trial has set a safe daily amount. Traditional and commercial products use roughly 1 to 5 percent tar in an ointment, soap or shampoo. Neat tar is far too strong for skin. If you use a finished product, follow its label and use the smallest amount that covers the patch. Never treat a large area of your body at once.
• Best time of day: Evening is the usual choice, because the tar stains, smells strong and makes skin more likely to burn in sunlight. Washing it off in the morning limits both problems.
• With or without food: Not relevant. Qatran is applied to the skin and must never be swallowed.
• Time to effect: Not known, because it has not been studied in people. Traditional use suggests itch may settle within a few days, while thick scaly patches change more slowly over a week or two.
• How long to take it: Keep any use short. Tradition and modern tar practice both point to days or a few weeks, not months. Stop and reassess after about two weeks. If the skin has not improved, tar is not the answer and you should see a doctor. Long or repeated use raises your exposure to the cancer-linked tar chemicals, so do not make it a daily habit.