ESSIAC Tea for Cancer

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These four herbs create a powerful immune-boosting and anti-cancer elixir that can destroy the overgrowth of bad bacteria, viruses and parasites, detoxify the liver and kidneys, enhance the immune system, provide the body with a powerful dose of antioxidants, and reduce tumours.

Essiac Tea for Cancer

Every year, all over the world, approximately 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer.

There have been powerful natural protocols (and natural medicine practitioners) that have been helping the body heal itself through the use of herbs and other modalities for thousands of years. One formula that Native American healers have used for centuries goes by the modern name Essiac, and it has potent anti-cancer properties. These holistic therapies can be used in conjunction with your current cancer treatments.

The History of Essiac Tea

Essiac tea can originally be linked to the Ojibwa Indians’ “Tea of Life,” a herbal remedy of the native tribes of Canada and the northern United States. As the story goes, Rene Caisse was a Canadian nurse in the 1920’s when she obtained the information from an English woman who was cured of breast cancer by a herbal formula that an Ojibwa Indian had given her. That formula would eventually become Essiac (Essiac is Caisse spelled backwards).

Between 1922 and 1978, Rene worked tirelessly — in spite of constant persecution from the Canadian medical establishment — and helped thousands of individuals through her clinic in Ontario. According to the official Essiac website, she refused payments for her services, although she did accept donations to support her clinic. While she developed and perfected the Essiac formula, she also worked in partnership with some heavy weights in the field of medical research in Canada. Among these individuals was Dr. Frederick Banting of the Banting Institute, Department of Medical Research, at the University of Toronto. Banting was famous for his discovery of insulin and is quoted as saying to Caisse at one point:

“I will not say you have a cure for cancer. But you have more evidence of a beneficial treatment for cancer than anyone in the world.”

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What is in Essiac Tea?

These days, the Essiac formula has been further developed by various natural health companies to include added ingredients which work with the original formula. There are four basic ingredients that are present in all Essiac formulas, however.

They are:

  • Burdock Root:

    Used traditionally to help reduce mucus, maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract, stimulate a healthy immune response, for weak digestion, as a diuretic for water retention and to sweat out toxins through the skin. It has vitamin A and selenium to help reducer free radicals and its chromium content helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

  • Slippery Elm (the inner bark):

    Contains large amounts of tannins and mucilages which are believed to help dissolve mucus deposits in tissue, glands and nerve channels. The inner bark, rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamins (A,B,C,K), helps to nourish and soothe organs, tissues and mucus membranes and is helpful to the lungs. It also helps neutralise acids from occasional indigestion.

  • Sheep Sorrel:

    Used in traditional folk herbalism to cool the body, create sweating and detoxification through the skin: as a diuretic useful in maintaining a healthy kidney and urinary functions. It is rich in vitamins and trace minerals (ascorbic acid, mineral oxides, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, silicon and rutin). It is thought to nourish the glandular system.

  • Indian Rhubarb Root:

    Used traditionally in small amounts, this herb acts as a gently laxative and helps purge the liver of toxic buildup and waste. It helps neutralise acids due to indigestion. Its malic acid also carries oxygen to all parts of the body, aiding in healing and promoting a positive and balancing effect upon the whole digestive system.

Together, these four herbs create a powerful immune-boosting and anti-cancer elixir that can destroy the overgrowth of bad bacteria, viruses and parasites, detoxify the liver and kidneys, enhance the immune system, provide the body with a powerful dose of antioxidants, and reduce tumours.

The tea can be consumed cold or hot and more water can be added for a milder flavour. Nurse Caisse cautioned against drinking more in hopes of better or faster results and to increase water consumption.

Some Cautions about Essiac Tea

It’s obvious from the above list of effects that these four ingredients are powerhouses for healing. As such, they must be taken seriously when considering a cancer protocol that uses them. Several experts have produced warnings about dried and prepared herbal Essiac formulas, since these may sit on the shelf for months and lose their potency. In addition, according to CancerTutor.com and other sources, caution must be taken when using Essiac if you have any of the following conditions:

  • If you are pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive;

  • If you have acute ulcers or colitis;

  • If you have kidney stones, kidney disease or issues with processing oxalates;

  • If you have increased iron in the blood;

  • If you have a brain tumour; or

  • If you are considering an Essiac protocol for a child under 12.

Tracey Mortensen