Essiac Herbal Tea

Essiac is truly a multi-cultural phenomenon.  So here are the plain, non-commercial facts:

1) Essiac marketers often claim that Essiac is an Ojibwa Indian formula.  In "I Was Canada's Cancer Nurse" Rene Caisse referred only to "a very old Indian medicine man" without naming any specific tribe.  Sheila Snow and Mali Klein have researched this issue extensively from the Essiac Archives and found that "There is absolutely no evidence to support the popular assumption that he was a member of the Ojibwa tribe.  There were six different tribes living in Northern Ontario at that time, including Algonquin [Anishinabeg], Cree, Cherokee, Huron, Iroquois and Ojibwa as well as the refugees from other tribes in the United States, who were fleeing north of the border from the Indian wars."

2) Turkey rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) is native to China and Tibet, not northern Ontario, so it appears unlikely that it was a part of the original medicine man's formula of indigenous herbs in the late 1800s.  Even today turkey rhubarb has still not established itself as a wild herb of North America [North America was originally called Turtle Island before the European Invasion and subsequent Holocaust].  "The [Turkey] rhubarb rhizome official in the British Pharmacopoeia, 1914, must be collected in China and Thibet.  English-grown rhubarb is inferior to the official rhubarb in medicinal qualities." *Even the 1931 edition of A MODERN HERBAL reports that "We still depend upon Northern China and Thibet for Rhubarb."* In Rene's Caisse's "I Was Canada's Cancer Nurse" she stated that the original formula came from an "old Indian who showed her certain herbs growing...in the wilds of Northern Ontario."  Nurse Caisse also used "Rheum officinale" which is often called "Indian rhubarb" because it came from Asia by way of the trade route through India.  However, according to Mary McPherson, "Turkish is better" and Rene Caisse switched to Turkey rhubarb because it tastes better. 

Since the modern North American diet of over-processed foods can cause chronic constipation which can promote cancer, the addition of rhubarb root in the formula appears to have been a wise one.  Herbalists such as Dr. John Christopher and Dr. Bernard Jensen believed that most illnesses are due to unclean colons.  Turkey rhubarb is now being grown commercially in North America, and that may very well be due to the ever-increasing popularity of Essiac tea.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  It should be noted that Essiac tea is a mild colon cleanser.  In severe cases of constipation and when doing a thorough colon cleanse for serious illnesses other herbs are traditionally used such as cascara sagrada, senna, aloe, ginger, cayenne and garlic.  These herbs are often taken in conjunction with a formulation containing clay, charcoal, psyllium seeds, flax seeds, apple pectin, marshmallow root, fennel seed and slippery elm bark in conjunction with colon hydrotherapy.  One source for such products is herbalist Dr. Richard Schultze, who received herbal training under both Dr. Christopher and Dr. Jensen.

3) Burdock and sheep sorrel are not native to North America.  It appears that both burdock and sheep sorrel were brought to this continent from Europe by early settlers who then passed on their knowledge of these two herbs to the local tribes.  Burdock and sheep sorrel eventually spread throughout North America where water was sufficient.  Unfortunately, they are often referred to as invasive "weeds".  Rene Caisse indicated that sheep sorrel was one of the original herbs, so it appears that sheep sorrel had migrated to "the wilds of Northern Ontario" before the 1890s.  Burdock could have also established itself in Northern Ontario by then.

4) Slippery elm is the only Essiac herb native to North America.

In spite of the numerous, conflicting claims as to what the original Indian "medicine" man's formula was, no one has yet offered any verifiable evidence to settle that issue.  Some claim it was a four-herb formula while others claim it was an eight-herb, six or seven-herb formula.  Many of these claims state that turkey rhubarb was one of the original herbs, which did not grow "in the wilds of Northern Ontario".  Rene Caisse did experiment with a number of herbs and changed the formula through time.  It does appear that she gave different Essiac tea formulas to different people to try to find the best one.  She also appeared to "thrive on intrigue" to throw people off the trail to guard her secrets. Therefore, it is easy to see why so many people are marketing different versions of "Essiac" tea, all claiming to have the right one.  However, she finally settled on her four-herb formula before she died.  This four-herb formula was demonstrated by Rene Caisse and untold cancer patients to be an effective, health-giving remedy that has stood the test of time.

The only person Rene Caisse trusted to help her make Essiac tea was her best friend, Mary McPherson.  Mary had worked alongside Rene since the 1930s and knew the formula by heart.  According to Dr. Gary Glum, Mary had promised Rene never to reveal the formula to anyone.  The Essiac formula might never have made it into the public domain had it not been for Dr. Glum.  In 1985 he purchased the formula for $120,000 from one of Rene's former patients.

Dr. Glum could have kept the formula secret and become very wealthy selling bottles of Essiac.  However, he unselfishly released the formula into the public domain in 1988.  At first he offered the formula on a video tape that he advertised in his book, CALLING OF AN ANGEL, but the feds unlawfully seized the tapes before he could sell very many of them.  Dr. Glum gave out the Essiac formula and recipe free of charge to anyone who mailed him a request for the Essiac formula. 

When Dr. Glum met Mary McPherson in Bracebridge, Ontario and told her what the Essiac formula was, she was more than a little surprised.  According to Dr. Glum, Mary eventually revealed the formula in 1994 because it was no longer a secret, and she wanted to end the controversy over the Essiac formula before she died.  Therefore, on December 23, 1994 the "Essiac" formula & recipe was officially entered into the public domain with the recording of Mary McPherson's affidavit.

In "I Was Canada's Cancer Nurse" Rene Caisse stated one reason why she wanted to keep the formula secret:  "I wanted to establish my remedy, which I called ESSIAC or my name spelled backward, in actual practice and not in a laboratory only.  I knew it had no bad side affects, so it could do no harm.  I wanted to use it on patients in my own way.  And when the time came, I wanted to share in the administration of my own discovery."

Another reason why Rene kept the Essiac formula secret was that she didn't trust people to make it properly and she thought that it would be altered.  For example, several years after Dr. Gary Glum published the four-herb Essiac formula, Canadian talk show host Elaine Alexander marketed an eight-herb formula, which included the four herbs that Dr. Glum published.  Her marketing campaign proclaimed that Essiac's "new name was Flor•Essence®".  She subsequently died of cancer.  Even today a common misconception still exists that Elaine Alexander's formula is Rene Caisse's authentic Essiac formula.  However, Mary McPherson's recorded affidavit settled that controversy in 1994.  This eight-herb formula is actually Dr. Charles Brusch's own formula, not Rene Caisse's Essiac formula.  Two of the herbs in this eight-herb formula were blessed thistle and kelp.  Rene Caisse never used these two herbs.

Every herbal formula has its own synergy and therefore creates a specific effect.  Rene Caisse spent her life refining the formula with her hands-on research.  No one else has done such extensive research on Essiac tea.  The formula below was the final formula that she settled on after more than fifty years of experimentation and research with real cancer patients.  Rene Caisse stated:  "If it works, don't change it.

THE FORMULA

The following formula and recipe for Essiac (in italics) is a word-for-word transcription of the Essiac formula from the sworn affidavit which Mary McPherson filed with the Town of Bracebridge.  The formula below is also the one which Dr. Gary Glum released to the public in 1988 when he published CALLING OF AN ANGEL:  ESSIAC, NATURE'S CURE FOR CANCER.

Essiac contains Burdock root (cut into chunks), Sheep sorrel herb and root (powdered), Slippery elm bark (powdered), and Turkish rhubarb root (powdered).

Store in glass jar in dark dry cupboard until you are ready to make your tea.

Take a measuring cup, use 1 ounce of herb mixture to 32 ounces of water depending on the amount you want to make.

Boil hard for 10 minutes (covered) then turn off heat but leave sitting on warm plate over night (covered).

In the morning heat steaming hot and let settle a few minutes, then strain through fine strainer into hot sterilized bottles and sit to cool.  Store in dark cool cupboard.  Your brew Must be refrigerated when opened.  When near the last when its thick pour in a large jar and sit in frig overnight then pour off all you [can] without sediment.

This recipe must be followed exactly as written in order to be effective and work.

Based on Caisse’s formula, the correct dosage of Essiac tea is 1 fluid ounce (30 mL) diluted in 2 fluid ounces (60 mL) of hot water per day. In terms of time of day, the tea should be sipped at bedtime on an empty stomach, with no food eaten both one hour before and one hour after drinking the tea. As a daily tonic for general, preventive health maintenance and for immune system strengthening, the recommended dose is 0.5 fluid ounces (15 mL) diluted in one ounce of hot water per day. It is recommended that water intake be increased while using Essiac.

Caisse was adamant regarding the dosage of Essiac. She reportedly had substantial fear that people would overdose in order to achieve greater benefits. However, one should be careful to avoid this temptation, given the possible side effects of Essiac. These side effects include gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, dangerously low levels of potassium, kidney stones, and headache/nausea, among others. If side effects occur, Caisse recommended halving the dose or stopping for a few days, in addition to drinking a gallon of water daily to help flush the tea from the body.

Disclaimer - These products are not intended to diagnose, treat cure or prevent any disease. Reviews are not intended as a substitute for appropriate medical care or the advice of a physician or another medical professional. Actual results may vary among users. Mountain Maus Remedies LLC makes no warranty or representation, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy or validity of the information contributed by outside product review submissions, and assumes no responsibility or liability regarding the use of such information. The information and statements regarding the dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you have a medical condition or disease, please talk to your health care provider. If you are currently taking a prescription medication, you should work with your health care provider before discontinuing any drug or altering any drug regimen, including augmenting your regimen with any herb or dietary supplements. Do not attempt to self-diagnose any disease or ailment based on the reviews and do not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Proper medical care is critical to good health. If you have a health concern or suspect you have an undiagnosed sign or symptom, please consult a physician or health care practitioner.