Essiac, Hope for Cancer, Arthritis

[Guest guest]

Essiac, Hope for Cancer Sufferers, help for Arthritis

JoAnn Guest

Nov 07, 2006 14:48 PST

 

Scott E. Miners

-

 

http://www.1001herbs.com/webarticles/essiac/essiac-tea.html

 

 

n 1922 nurse Rene Caisse worked in the surgery ward in an Ontario

hospital where she found an elderly woman patient with a strangely

scarred breast. The woman explained to nurse Caisse that thirty

years earlier doctors told her she had advanced breast cancer and

would need to have the breast removed. She declined the surgery.

A Native American friend in Ontario had offered to treat the woman's

cancer with herbal medicine, and she decided to accept.

 

The man, an Ojibway herbalist, gave her the herb recipe and showed

her how to make a brew of it. She drank the tea daily, and her

tumors shrank and then disappeared.

 

She was still totally cancer free two decades later as she spoke

with nurse Caisse in the Ontario hospital.

 

Caisse obtained the recipe for herself thinking she could use it if

she ever had cancer. Shortly afterward, Caisse's aunt was diagnosed

with advanced stomach cancer and given six months to live. Caisse

asked the physician, Dr. R. O. Fisher, for permission to try the tea

on her aunt, and he consented. Her aunt drank the herbal brew daily

for two months and recovered. She lived for twenty years more.

 

Dr. Fisher and nurse Caisse began treating cancer patients who had

been diagnosed as terminal by their doctors, and many of them

improved dramatically.

 

Caisse and Fisher modified the combination of herbs somewhat, and

Caisse named the concoction " Essiac, " which is her name spelled

backward.

 

Through the years, Caisse treated thousands of cases. The vast

majority were brought to her for treatment after surgery, radiation,

and chemotherapy had failed, and the patients were pronounced

incurable.

 

One example is Annie Bonar. She was diagnosed with uterine and

bowel cancer, which had spread after radium treatments. Her arm had

swollen to double its size, turning black. The night before the arm

was to be amputated, Bonar opted for Essiac therapy instead. During

four months of the herbal treatment, she went from 90 to 150 pounds,

and her arm returned to normal. A series of exams revealed she was

cancer free. The Royal Cancer Commission of Canada listed her case

as " recovery due to radiation. "

 

Concerned that Caisse was practicing medicine without a license,

Canadian officials, along with many in the medical community,

attempted

to censor her work. This ultimately had a braking effect on her

treatments, but she never stopped helping those who came to her

until her death in 1978.

 

Caisse also had numerous lucrative offers for the formula, but

always feared a large company would take it over, and that Essiac

would then become less freely available to the people who needed it

most.

 

Indeed, Dr. Frederick Banting, discoverer of insulin, wanted to test

Essiac after learning that one of Caisse's patients had not only

been cured of her cancer, but of her insulin-dependent diabetes as

well.

 

Under Essiac therapy, her cancerous bowel tumor had became larger

and harder at first, although it soon softened, got smaller, and

ultimately disappeared.

 

The woman's diabetes also disappeared. Dr. Banting thought the

Essiac healed the pancreas as well, and thus had potential to treat

diabetes.

 

He wanted to test the substance in his lab, but he also wanted

Caisse to close her clinic while tests were run. She refused, and

the tests on diabetes never took place. Essiac is not a cure-all

according to Dr. Jim Chan, N.D., despite

evidence that it seems more effective than chemotherapy, radiation,

and surgery in treating various cancers. Chan obtained Essiac in

1991 from the Resperin Corp. of Toronto for cancer patients through

the emergency drug release program and maintains that it is " not 100

percent effective. "

 

An individual's lifestyle, the kind of carcinoma involved,

and the time at which he or she starts taking Essiac are factors.

 

Still,

Chan has had a high success rate with those who have had the least

amount of radiation or chemotherapy, and most had begun the Essiac

alternative in late stages of their cancer illness.

 

In 1959 Rene Caisse introduced her Essiac formula to Dr. Charles

Brusch, M.D., physician to president John F. Kennedy.

 

She started a series of treatments on terminal cancer patients and

laboratory mice at the Brusch Medical Center in Cambridge,

Massachusetts where she was supervised by eighteen doctors.

 

As reported by Sheila Fraser and Caroll Allen in Homaker's Magazine,

" Dr. Charles McClure, supervisor of research, and Dr. Charles Brusch

concluded after three months [that] 'On mice [Essiac] has been shown

to cause a decided recession of the mass, and a definite change in

cell formation.

 

Clinically, on patients suffering from pathologically proven cancer,

it reduces pain and causes a recession in the growth; patients have

gained weight and shown an improvement in their general health.

This, after only three months' tests and the proof Miss Caisse has

to show of the many patients she has benefited in the past 25 years,

has convinced the doctors at the Brusch Medical Center that Essiac

has merit in the

treatment of cancer.

 

The doctors do not say that Essiac is a cure, but they do say it is

of

benefit. It is non-toxic, and is administered both orally and by

intra

muscular injection.' "

 

Rene Caisse would not reveal her formula to the medical world

because,

as she said, they would not assure her they would use it in the

treatment of cancer clinically. She reasoned that " if they did not

know

what I was using, they could not be in a position to condemn it. I

have

therefore kept my own counsel. " This, she felt, led to labs working

with

the Brusch Center to stop processing their material. The American

Medical Association had forbidden its members to refer patients to

unknown remedies, patients stopped being referred, and work at the

clinic ended.

 

In 1990, Dr Charles Brusch wrote, " Many years have gone by since I

first

experienced the use of Essiac with my patients. . .suffering from

many

varied forms of cancer. . . . Rene [Caisse] worked with me and

together

we refined and perfected her formula. . . .

 

" Remarkably beneficial results were obtained even on those cases at

the

'end of the road' where it proved to prolong life and the 'quality'

of

that life.

 

" In some cases, if the tumor didn't disappear, it could be

surgically

removed after Essiac with less risk of metastasis resulting in new

outbreaks. Hemorrhage has been rapidly brought under control in many

difficult cases, open lesions of lip and breast responded to

treatment,

and patients with cancer of the stomach have returned to normal

activity

among many other remembered cases.

 

Also, intestinal burns from radiation were healed and damage

replaced,

and it was found to greatly improve whatever the condition. . . .I

endorse this therapy even today, for I have in fact cured my own

cancer,

the original site of which was the lower bowel, through Essiac

alone. "

(From a notarized letter, April 6, 1990.)

 

Nurse Caisse signed over the rights to her Essiac formula to the

Resperin Corp. and Dr. Brusch in 1978, before she died at the age of

90.

Brusch turned his version of the formulation over to Elaine

Alexander of

Vancouver, British Columbia, and it is now marketed by a Canadian

company called Flora, Inc.

 

The basic formula consists of four herbs: burdock root (Arctium

lappa),

Turkey rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella),

and

slippery elm (Ulmus fulva).

 

According to herbalist Barbara Mowbray, burdock root has been used

for

centuries. Eaten as spring greens, it stimulates production of bile

and

helps liver function. As a first-year root, dug in autumn, it is

used as

a blood purifier.

 

It is " renowned " for " reducing " the " pain and swelling " of

arthritis.

 

An extract of the root " contains inulin " , which the " body converts "

to

" insulin " , helpful to diabetics.

 

Burdock root has many other qualities, but perhaps the most germane

is

its reputation for tumor regression, for which it has long been used

in

macrobiotic diets.

 

Turkey rhubarb, used as stems, now finds its way into puddings and

pies.

The root stock is both laxative and astringent, depending upon the

dose.

 

 

It is effective for diarrhea and known to work in removing debris

from

and cleansing the bowels.

 

In Chinese medicine, it is used to treat fevers and has been used to

treat chronic liver problems. Liver toxicity is often found in

cancer

patients.

 

Sheep sorrel has been used to treat scurvy, to strengthen the heart,

and

to cool the liver. The fresh leaves contain a number of acids, which

makes them a delicacy in fresh salads.

 

Sheep sorrel is respected as a diuretic and as a treatment for blood

disorders, as well as assisting with skin problems.

A decoction can be used internally or externally. Also, Rene Caisse,

in

her fifty years of working with cancer patients, observed it to be

effective in breaking down tumors.

 

The inner bark of slippery elm is used to heal wounds and is known

for

the blanketing effect it has on the mucous membranes of the

digestive

system. It is soothing for sore throats, and coats the intestinal

tract,

producing speculation that its role in the Essiac formula is to

protect

the body when toxins are released.

 

It is nutritive as well-in fact, each of these four herbs are rich

in

vitamins and minerals-and was used by Native Americans for food when

none other was available.

 

Despite the beneficial qualities of these herbs individually,

herbalists

assert that the yet-to-be-determined synergistic combination of the

herbs in a brew seems to be what gives Essiac its potency. For more

in-depth information about them, see Sheila Fraser Snow's excellent

new

book, The Essence of Essiac ($25 check or MO to: Snow, Box 396, Port

Carling, Ontario, Canada P0B 1J0).

 

 

 

uring the clinical trials of Essiac conducted by Resperin in 1978,

Ed

Zalesky, a participant who was 63 at the time, had been diagnosed

with

cancer of the small intestine. Four feet of " gut " had been taken out

but

cancer was still left.

 

" They said I had six months without radiation and two years with

radiation. " He is now (1993) running the Canadian Museum of Flight

seven

days a week.

 

He is critical of Essiac's detractors: " Why can't the people who

administer cancer funds give it a fair trial? It isn't going to hurt

anyone, and the medical profession should stop playing God and allow

us

cancer patients to use the treatment of our choice. "

 

In his article, " Essiac: A Remarkable Canadian Indian Remedy for

Cancer, " author Richard Walters writes, " One wonders where are the

controlled clinical trials of Essiac today for desperate patients

who

might benefit from it? " He goes on to note that Dr. E. Bruce

Hendrick,

M.D., chief of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto's Hospital

for

Sick Children urges " a scientific clinical trial " of Essiac. Walters

cites recent evidence that patients with " surgically treated tumors

of

the central nervous system, after taking an Essiac regimen,

had 'escaped

from the conventional methods of therapy, including both radiation

and

chemotherapy.' "

 

Walters goes on to note that Dr. Emma Carson, a Los Angeles

physician

who spent 24 days inspecting nurse Caisse's Bracebridge clinic in

its

heyday in 1937 reached similar conclusions. Originally skeptical and

planning to stay only a couple of days, she scrutinized the clinical

records and examinations of more than 400 patients. Her

conclusion? " The

vast majority of Miss Caisse's patients are brought to her for

treatment

after surgery, radium, X-rays, emplastrums, etc., have failed to be

helpful, and the patients are pronounced incurable. Really the

progress

obtainable and the actual results from 'Essiac' treatments and the

rapidity of repair [were] absolutely marvelous and must be seen to

convincingly confirm belief. "

 

She went on to say, " Several prominent physicians and surgeons who

are

quite familiar with the indisputable results obtained in response to

Essiac treatments [have] conceded to me that the Rene M. Caisse

Essiac

Treatment for cancer is the most humane, satisfactory and frequently

successful remedy for the annihilation of cancer that they had found

at

that time. "

 

 

he Essiac formula Rene Caisse gave to the Resperin Corporation is so

simple and natural it deserves the grace of Edna St. Vincent

Millay's

magical lines: " And all the loveliest things there be / Come simply,

so,

it seems to me. "

 

With the abundance of evidence available, why is Essiac not given

more

study? Is it because the herbs used are so readily available, the

formula so simple that no one would make money producing it?

 

Or, is Essiac's efficacy argued away using the logic of the placebo

effect? The argument says that terminal cancer patients are so

desperate

they are ready to believe anything, and that their belief in the

treatment rather than the treatment itself actually effects a cure.

But

if that is the case with Essiac, then the same argument could be

made

about chemotherapy or radiation. Patients who live do so despite the

destruction of their immune systems by these treatments. If the

placebo

effect controls the outcome of both types of treatment, wouldn't

patients rather spend $50 to $500 on herbs and maintain their immune

systems than spend their life savings on drugs that actually wreak

havoc

on the whole body and have an extremely low success rate?

 

Supporters of Rene Caisse and Essiac gathered 55,000 signatures in

1938

for a petition supporting a bill to allow her to continue to treat

cancer patients with Essiac, free from the constant threat of

arrest.

The signatories included many doctors, as well as Caisse's patients

and

their families. The bill to legalize Essiac as a remedy for terminal

cancer patients failed by three votes to pass in the Ontario

Parliament.

Rene Caisse learned years later that the College of Physicians and

Surgeons had told members of Parliament that the College would " take

a

sincere look and give [Caisse] a fair hearing " if the bill were

defeated. So Parliament failed to legalize Essiac, and people may

well

wonder what ever happened to that " sincere look. " Where is the fair

hearing that was promised?

 

Recently Dr. Gary Glum, a Los Angeles chiropractor, completed

several

years research of nurse Caisse's experiences with Essiac. He wrote a

biography of Caisse titled Calling of an Angel (1988). He was given

a

formula for Essiac by Mary Macpherson, a close friend of nurse

Caisse,

and he published the formula in his book. Many people have used this

formula and have been healed of cancers, including leukemia.

Anecdotal

evidence indicates people have also used the formula for treating

many

immune deficiencies, and others drink it daily as a preventive, as

did

Rene Caisse herself, testifying they feel better overall, indeed

with

more energy and verve for life.

 

Aside from its potential for treating various cancers, Essiac seems

also

to be a strong preventive and relieves pain in cancer patients. Gary

Glum's wife found that Essiac normalized her thyroid gland, and she

was

able to stop taking her two grains of thyroid, which she had been on

since the sixth grade. Rene Caisse also found that Essiac would heal

stomach ulcers within three to four weeks, and, best of all,

evidence so

far shows the formula to be nontoxic when taken in no more than

three

2-ounce doses during a 24-hour period.

 

Despite the lack of clinical proof and, indeed, of interest from

most in

the medical community, Essiac is growing in popularity. If it didn't

have any merit, one would think it would have lost its appeal by

now.

Could it actually work? Surely some foundation, pharmaceutical

company,

or government agency somewhere ought to be willing to find out.

 

 

 

 

 

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Reprinted with permission from The Herb Quarterly.

Retrun to the %%siteurl%% home page.

 

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

[Guest guest]

Where can I find a reliable source for the tea of these herbs?

Preferably an economical supplier?

 

Have people had any personal experiences with this herbal remedy?

 

Does anyone know about the cases that weren't helped by essiac? or

what they might have had in common?

 

Thanks!

 

Nik

[Guest guest]

I don't know a lot about Essiac, but I get most of my supplements and

herbal caps from Iherb... (right now, I'm working on sorting through

Dr. Dukes list of anticancer plants but I'm only to phase II, ruling

out the one's that are too obscure or too toxic...)

But, back to the original question, I have ordered a lot of stuff from

Iherb and they are reliable, fast and their prices are better than the

local stores...they also have a very good reference library... you

might check for more info there...

http://www.iherb.com/store/Search.aspx?c=Herbs & kw=essiac

Cynthia

, " Nik " <ryotboi

wrote:

>

> Where can I find a reliable source for the tea of these herbs?

> Preferably an economical supplier?

>

> Have people had any personal experiences with this herbal remedy?

>

> Does anyone know about the cases that weren't helped by essiac? or

> what they might have had in common?

>

> Thanks!

>

> Nik

>

[Guest guest]

I have a friend whom regulary drinks Essiac tea. But she doesn't

do it for Cancer or Arthritis. She has Multiple Chemical

Sensitivities [MCS] as well as ME [Myalgic Encephalitis] and takes

Essiac tea to help her detox. Her husband also drinks the tea - he

has MCS.

This friend did have arthritis several years ago; but her

doctor cured it using Brown's Protocol. [you will find it on Dr

Mercola's website]

blessings

Shan

PS From what I have read about Alternative Cancer Treatments; there

seems to be 4 classifications/categories. Different treatments are

adviced for different categories of cancer.

 

CANCER TUTOR

Alternative Cancer Treatments Information Center. Did you know there

are natural or alternative cancer treatments that overall have a 50%

true cure rate on cancer patients given up on by orthodox medicine?

The focus of this website is to track down and identify these rare

treatments, and to make this information freely available.

http://www.cancertutor.com/

 

, " Nik "

<ryotboi wrote:

>

> Where can I find a reliable source for the tea of these herbs?

> Preferably an economical supplier?

>

> Have people had any personal experiences with this herbal remedy?

>

> Does anyone know about the cases that weren't helped by essiac? or

> what they might have had in common?

>

> Thanks!

>

> Nik

>

[Guest guest]

The health food store here sells it in bulk. My 16 year old takes it

daily. She has a benign tumor in her leg bone. As far as I know it

hasn't gotten rid of the tumor but it has decreased her need for daily

pain medicine significantly!!

 

She takes a pain pill very rarely if at all anymore.

 

Belinda

[Guest guest]

, " Nik "

<ryotboi wrote:

> Where can I find a reliable source for the tea of these herbs?

> Preferably an economical supplier?

>

> Have people had any personal experiences with this herbal remedy?

> Does anyone know about the cases that weren't helped by essiac? or

> what they might have had in common?

> Thanks!

> Nik

 

Hi Nik,

In my opinion, this is the preferred source of ESSIAC. This

Canadian company FLORA Inc. is the original formulated and perfected

over the years by Rene Caisse! Purchasing it by the case is more

economical, although considering the benefits that these herbs

afford, it is well worth the price!

 

JoAnn

[Guest guest]

Hello Nik, I don't have a lot of knowledge of Essiac Tea, but do know it is best

if you can get the fresh herbs and brew it yourself. It is quite time

consuming, but supposed to be worth it. I was always able to buy it from a

small health food store locally that actually brewed it themselves once a month.

From what I read, if you have cancer you should always drink it and not stop.

Good luck, Betty

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the tip! Essiac would be for CFS/MCS and arthritis

affecting me.

 

Regards,

 

Nik

[Guest guest]

In 1995, at the age of 28, Glynn Williams was diagnosed with Hodgkin's type

Lymphoma. " I went to see the doctor because of swelling on both sides of the

groin area which came on within about a week,…I was totally exhausted,

lethargic, did not have the energy to get up, had no appetite and was losing

weight and I was having chills.”

He started taking Essiac tea (brand name Flor Essence) – two ounces in the

morning before eating and two ounces at night. The swelling grew larger and

then hardened up and the discomfort went away. By this time test results

confirmed that he had advanced stage Hodgkin’s. He was put on a course of 16

chemotherapy treatments but after experiencing severe side effects he quit the

course of treatments after the fifth chemo session. Throughout this treatment he

had continued with the Essiac tea which he supplemented with vitamins and

herbs, one 400 IU vitamin E, one 10,000 IU beta carotene, 2 ginseng, one shark

cartilage, one 1000 mg. Vitamin C, drops of liquid echinacea on the tongue every

3 hours, and then capsules of echinacea 380 mg. He also took a parasite

elimination programme using black walnut tinctures, and wormwood capsules. He

drank Kombucha mushroom tea three times a day. Finally he did yoga with a strong

focus on diaphragm breathing.

His doctors were amazed when he was eventually found to be cancer-free as five

doses of chemo was not considered curative. In December 2005, he confirmed that

he is still cancer free ten years later.

Contact Glynn's website at www.north.island.net/~glynnw/

 

This information is extracted from Cancer: The Complete recovery Guide at

www.fightingcancer.com

 

Jonathan

 

JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo wrote:

, " Nik "

<ryotboi wrote:

> Where can I find a reliable source for the tea of these herbs?

> Preferably an economical supplier?