Essiac Tea

Rene Caisse (1888–1978), referring to herself as “Canada’s Cancer Nurse,” devoted over fifty years to alleviating the suffering of those with cancer.

In 1922, Nurse Caisse met an elderly woman who claimed she had been cured thirty years previously of breast cancer. The woman credited her cure to an ancient Ojibwe Indian recipe of herbs and roots given to her by a medicine man.

The woman shared the recipe with Nurse Caisse, who had the opportunity to try it out when her own aunt was given six months to live due to stomach cancer that had spread to the liver. Caisse’s aunt was given the tea under medical observation and lived twenty-one more years with no recurrence Caisse refined the remedy and coined it Essiac (Caisse spelled backward).

Caisse continued to treat many “hopeless” cancer patients, with amazing results. She went on to start a cancer clinic in Bracebridge, Ontario, in 1934, where she provided hundreds of terminally ill patients with Essiac and hope. Despite having laboratory tested her remedy and having garnered the support of a number of doctors, Caisse’s work was surrounded by controversy, and in 1942—under threat of arrest—she was forced to close the clinic’s doors. A petition with 55,000 signers—including both patients and doctors—did not help.

Luckily that did not put an end to the Essiac remedy, which is now available online and in health food stores. Essiac is sold as a powder, a liquid, or in capsules.

The original four-herb recipe contained burdock root (Rheum palmatum), sheep sorrel leaves and roots (Rumex acetosella), slippery elm bark (Ulmus fulva), and turkey rhubarb (Rheum pamatum).

Laboratory experiments have shown that these individual ingredients possess several important biochemical properties, such as antioxidant, immunostimulant, and anti-inflammatory effects, all pertinent factors in the prevention and treatment of cancer. It can be used in conjunction with other alternative remedies or to support standard chemotherapy regimens.

For Further Exploration:

The History of Essiac and Its Developer, Nurse Rene Caisse

About the Original Essiac Tea Formula