This week we thought it would be fun to tell the story and wonderful benefits of essiac tea.  This herbal formula has been known to use as a natural alternative to treat cancer.  That being said let’s dive in deeper…

History of Essiac Tea
Essiac tea was made known by a Canadian nurse named Rene Caisse (her last name spelled backwards is Essiac) in the 1920’s.  One of her patients had told her that an Ontario Ojibwa Native American medicine man had given her specific herbs to drink to get rid of her breast cancer. This intrigued Rene so she wrote down the herbs and decided that if she ever got cancer she would use this formula for herself. Unfortunately, her Aunt was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the introduction to this herbal elxir. Rene gave her aunt this special tea to help her through her cancer.  Her aunt drank the tea regularly and went on to live another 21 years after her bout with cancer.

After the remarkable results Rene saw from her aunt drinking the tea, she began to use this tea to help treat many of her cancer patients. She coupled up with Dr. Charles Brusch to formulate a specific herbal mixture of the herbs to use in a laboratory setting in hopes of using this elxir more widelyspread.  Throughout her time of treating thousands of cancer patients and preforming in depth research on the herbs, she faced arrest and accusations from the College of Physicians and Surgeons.  After presenting multiple patient testimonials and having the support of several doctors she worked along side with, she was told by the Minister of Health that it was acceptable for her to treat her patients as long as they provided written diagnoses from their doctors and that she did not charge for the treatment.

Even though she was not successful in her pursuit of making essiac tea another option as a drug to treat cancer, her special formulated tea has given many people an alternative approach to fighting cancer or other ailments naturally.

These major herbs include:

1. Burdock Root (Great blood purifier, helps detoxify the lymphatic system liver, kidneys, and skin)
2. The inner bark of Slippery Elm ( High in mucilage, has been used traditionally as a demulcent to soothe mucous membranes, especially in the gastrointestinal tract)
3. Sheep Sorrel (Helps reduce inflammation, enhances urine flow, remedies intestinal parasites, remedies kidney and urinary diseases)
4. Indian Rhubarb Root (Improves lung performance, helpful for menopause, inhibits glucose uptake in cancer cells and alters cancer cells’ cell membranes to induce death)

A newer recipe named Flor Essence contains this original recipe and includes the addition of 4 more herbs:

1. Watercress (Great source of Omega 3– helps reduce inflammation, helps regulate blood pressure, benefits hair, skin, nails and bones)
2. Blessed thistle (Used for loss of appetite and indigestion; and to treat colds, cough, fever, bacterial infections, and diarrhea)
3. Red clover (Reduces menopause symptoms, helps prevent male pattern hair loss, helps reduce inflammation)
4. Kelp (Naturally contains iodine which helps supports thyroid health)

People have used this formula to help destroy overgrowth of bad bacteria, viruses, parasites, and detoxify the colon, liver, and kidneys.

If tea is not your thing you can try essiac tea in capsule form.  A couple of more affordable options that have the traditional essiac formula are the Now Ojibwa Tea or Now Ojibwa formula in capsule form.

We hoped you enjoyed the story about essiac tea and that it provided information on an alternative approach to cancer.  It is not an easy dis-ease to face but knowing there are many options available in your journey make all the difference.

As always, do what you feel is best for YOUR body– if you aren’t sure, ask your doctor. We are health ENTHUSIASTS not licensed practitioners.