Essiac Tea Recipe + How I Used It To Heal Cancer Naturally

I have been wanting to write about Essiac Tea and its role in healing cancer for practically forever. This post is a long time coming and I’m excited to share this easy Essiac tea recipe with you!

I actually lost interest in Essiac for a good while when I was pregnant– then nursing- and pregnant– then pregnant again– then nursing then pregnant and nursing again from 2009 until 2016.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t drink Essiac tea while pregnant or nursing. It’s almost the only natural cancer remedy that should be avoided while pregnant! (I’ll write a little bit more about WHY below.)

So, while I wrote about practically everything else I did to heal my body naturally from cancer, Essiac was left on the back burner until finally this past summer (when nursing was D-O-N-E,) and I couldn’t wait to start detoxing with Essiac again!

 

Nurse Rene Caisse

The History of Essiac Tea:

Essiac tea is named for Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse (pronounced “Reen Case”,) who developed the formula for her Essiac tea recipe from an ancient remedy used by Canadian first nation tribes, (possibly Ojibwa.) It literally means “Tea of Life.”

“Essiac” is Rene’s last name spelled backwards. She learned of the Essiac tea herbs from one of her patients who had recovered from advanced breast cancer 30 years prior (this was in the 1920’s.)  This patient had learned of the herbs from a native medicine man and recovered from her cancer while only drinking the tea from the herbs.

Rene began using the Essiac tea blend on some of her cancer patients who were deemed “lost causes” (starting with her own aunt,) and had great and surprising success. She opened and ran her own clinic for over 30 years (which was eventually forced to close by authorities.) Read Rene Caisse’s own words about this HERE. She helped thousands of patients heal using her Essiac tea recipe and became known as “Canada’s Cancer Nurse.”

 

How It Works:

The traditional Essiac tea recipe used by Rene Caisse is made from 4 herbs:

Burdock Root: Reduces mucus, helps maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract, stimulates a healthy immune response, used for weak digestion, as a diuretic for waste retention and to sweat out toxins through the skin. It has vitamin A and selenium to help reduce free radicals and its chromium content helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

Slippery Elm (inner bark): Helps 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 neutralize acids from indigestion.

Sheep Sorrel: Used in traditional folk herbalism to cool the body, creates sweating and detoxification through the skin: as a diuretic useful in maintaining healthy kidney and urinary functions. It is rich in vitamins and trace minerals (ascorbic acid, mineral oxides, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and silicon. 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 neutralize 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.

(Thank you to www.essiacinfo.org for this!)

***Any Essiac tea recipe can be made with a 4 herb or 8 herb blend. I have used both and taste is almost identical and both include Rene Caisse’s original 4 main herbs.

My Essiac Story for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma:

Essiac is an EXCELLENT natural therapy for lymphomas since it helps release and flush toxins from the lymph system, altering the environment that encouraged circulating cancer cell activity in the first place. (See above herb descriptions.)

My experience with Essiac was pretty incredible. I added Essiac into my daily natural cancer protocol about 6 weeks after I started my anti-cancer diet. Its results were noticeable within 2 weeks.

I had a walnut-sized lymph node in my neck that began shrinking quite rapidly to the touch within days after beginning Essiac. I was grateful it was palpable from the surface and we could gauge my progress from its behavior.

Two months after beginning my natural cancer treatment (and about 3 weeks after starting Essiac,) I went to a local living foods center to receive detox therapies and was asked ONLY to consume the foods and juices there for my 12 days there. So, in keeping with the instructions I stopped consuming two parts of my protocol: the Budwig mixture and Essiac.

After my 12 days there I actually noticed an obvious INCREASE in the size of my lymph node. It was coming back! I immediately began Budwig and Essiac again and never turned back. My cancer has been in remission since 2009 and that lymph node has NEVER increased in size again.

 Who Should NOT Use Essiac:

  • People receiving chemotherapy should use Essiac with caution. Consult with an experienced naturopath or herbalist to address interactions and detoxification during or after chemotherapy. However, I have read testimonies of Essiac users going through chemo and it actually made them feel BETTER, so consider this case by case.
  • Pregnant and nursing women should use great caution with any Essiac tea recipe. Several of the herbs in the tea can cause uterine contractions that could cause preterm labor or miscarriage. During nursing, the herbs will cause toxins to be released into the bloodstream which passes into the mother’s milk and into baby. With this said, I have heard of women using Essiac during pregnancy and nursing. I personally chose not to.
  • People with kidney and liver problems should consult their doctor before using Essiac.
  • Apparently there have been certain breast cancers that respond negatively to Essiac consumption. I have only seen spotty commentary on this and two small studies that utilized the Essiac as a topical herbal tincture to cancer cells in a laboratory setting. You can read those studies HERE <— (link is broken since original post was published.)

 

My Favorite EASY Essiac Tea Recipe:

(***Note: Ojibwa Essiac has had supply orders for a few years now, so all links now redirect to the original Essiac formula I used which you can purchase on Amazon. The liquid, pre-made version is HERE.***)

When I drank Essiac during my cancer season, I didn’t feel confident enough to make my own and ended up buying REALLY expensive (but awesome) pre-made Essiac (see bottom of post.)

Nowadays I definitely feel better about making my Essiac tea. It turns out it wasn’t really that hard to make in the first place.

After much research, my favorite version of pre-blended dry Essiac is from at Ojibwa: Tea of Life. (You can purchase HERE.)

Ojibwa: Tea of Life is intentionally crafted and blended by master herbalist Michelle Kalevik, The herbs are gathered at their appropriate time and season and are used immediately or are properly stored and cleaned.

One bag will make MONTHS worth of Essiac tea.

 

How to Make:

To make 64 ounces of Essiac tea (two amber 32 ounce bottle worth!)

This will easily cover 2 weeks of twice to three times a day of Essiac consumption.

 

Step 1: Around bedtime, use a large pot with lid and bring 3 quarts of filtered water to a boil.

 

Measure 1/4 cup Essiac tea herbs.

Step 2: Stir in 1/4 cup Ojibwa: Tea of Life Essiac Tea blend and stir.

 

Step 3: Turn off heat, replace lid and let cool and brew overnight for 10 hours.

 

Step 4: After 10 hours, stir tea and bring the tea back up to almost boiling but not rapidly bubbling. Let cool to room temperature.

 

Step 5: After cooling, strain Essiac through a fine colander. (I actually find that that most of the tea sinks to the bottom and I can bottle a good amount of it before straining as long as I don’t stir it up. For straining I use a fine mesh strainer like this one.

 

Pour tea into bottle using a funnel…

 

…or pour tea carefully straight into bottle.

Step 6: After straining into a bowl like this one, (the lip is REALLY helping for pouring,) you can either carefully pour straight into the bottles or use a funnel like this one to more cautiously pour into the bottles.

 

I used old store bought Essiac bottles but you can buy an amber bottle for less than $7 on Amazon!

 

Step 7: Store in refrigerator in dark amber, glass bottles. See the ones I like on Amazon HERE. The above recipe makes two 32 ounce bottles. Consume within 2-3 weeks.

 

To Drink Essiac Tea:

  • Measure out 2 ounces (4 Tablespoons) of the Essiac tea and mix with hot water to your liking. I usually pour about a 1/3 cup hot water in with my cold tea and the temperature and taste is perfect. If you don’t like the flavor, you’ll get used to it! It did and I love it now. It tastes like….LIFE!
  • Make sure to wait 30 minutes to eat anything else. Consume 2-3 times per day if healing from cancer. I also like to use Essiac for 3 weeks and then take a week off to give my body a rest.

 

Pre-Made Essiac Tea:

When I was going through treatment I was overwhelmed by the idea of using my own Essiac tea recipe. I felt like I was prepping food in my kitchen 24/7! So my husband and I spent a fortune buying 1-2 bottles of Flor-essence brand Essiac tea a week at almost $50 a bottle!

Ojibwa: Tea of Life also has an entire line of Essiac products including a pre-made tonic for a much better price. (Currently out of stock – but HERE is the original Essiac I used on Amazon! Make sure to save your brown bottles and caps to make your own Essiac later!

For Essiac Tea Community, other Essiac tea recipe ideas, and to hear MANY successful testimonies and share your own, see the Essiac Tea Users Facebook page.

 

Connect with AntiCancerMom on Facebook or Instagram.

See more posts on anti-cancer lifestyle and diet and alternative cancer treatments HERE.

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Sources and References:

http://www.essiacinfo.org/caisse.html

http://www.healthfreedom.info/Cancer%20Essiac.htm

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53 thoughts on “Essiac Tea Recipe + How I Used It To Heal Cancer Naturally

  1. I lost my wife to cancer in 1999. At that time essiac tea was unheard of. I remember coming home with just a picture of a plant and a small write up of essiac that mentioned Rene Case. Immediately upon mentioning it my wifes friend who was visiting said she not only knew what it was,but that her father’s neighbor was an herbalist and actually made this tea. We asked her if she could obtain some for us and she did. It was too late for my wife. She died the next day,but after only 1 serving of this tea she did sleep that night. Which is something she had not been able to do for months. I was so intrigued that even though she had passed I continued my research on this tea. And this Canadian nurse that was curing cancer patients.
    Apparently after she had cured one of the Kennedys the FDA and the National Cancer Institute were able to obtain a federal gag order against anyone speaking of this tea in public. Imagine that…let that sink in a minute. Now my curiosity got the better of me and I started digging deeper into this subject.
    I used to have all of this documented proof,but have since lost it in one of my many moves. You mentioned her medical facility… indeed she did. And it was funded by our very own US Government.
    There were stipulations though… She was not allowed to call it a cure,she could not charge anyone for it and she was only allowed to treat those that were deemed terminal by the AMA and with less than 30 days to live.
    You should also know that 98% of those she treated were there at her funeral when she died. And as it turns out she had told the powers that be and wanted her recipe that she would only reveal it if they would promise to make it affordable to low and no income families. Of course our government would never agree to those terms. So the recipe she took to the grave.
    During her lifetime there were those who had obtained the recipe. One of which was a chiropractor named Gary Glum. He had been drinking the tea for years and claimed to never even had so much as a sniffle.
    He had tried to bring this story to light,but was not met with any enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, nobody would write about it or air it on television being afraid of wrongful death suits being brought against them.
    After exhausting all avenues to getting this information to the public he eventually published a book about Rene and her life saving tea. It was called “The Calling of an Angel” However, when the books were printed and delivered to his office,the IRS showed up and through many fines and the confiscation of these books he was forced out of business. And decided to become an investigative reporter.
    I don’t know what eventually became of him,but I do believe he sought the truth and tried to inform as many people as possible. I do know that there are some copies of his book that can be found online still. I also know that I have shared my knowledge of essiac tea with many. Including the woman that made the tea for my wife. Who at the time had been making it for her own husband who was told that he had 30 -60 days to live by the AMA. She said that was 8 years and 3 children ago and her husband was still alive.
    Regretfully I have lost touch with her over the years and have not spoken to her or even know if she is still alive. She did on several occasions make the tea for me and I gave it to people that were very ill from cancer. Of which are still alive today, because of this tea.
    I also spoke of this tea with a customer who I learned was a pastor. He ,after looking at my research said he to had some very eye opening research that he wanted to share with me. Because I had shared with him our governments reaction to this natural cure,and had the documented proof, he took me into his basement to share his own discovery with me…and what he researched and discovered is horrifying.
    You needn’t believe him or i,but a little research on your part will only enlighten you. What he discovered was that the only things the FDA will legalize and market are those things that actually KILL. Think about that…and if you know of anything that is approved by the FDA that won’t kill you…I’ve love to hear about it. As of now I have found nothing,but you can bet on the fact that anything natural that actually does cure any kind of disease will never be approved by the FDA.

  2. Hello,
    You mentioned certain breast cancer respond negatively to this tea. Do you happen to know which kind? I have a estrogen/progestoren positive BC.

    • I wrote this a very long time ago, but I haven’t heard any specific breast cancers, I think I had just read an article that claimed certain breast cancers. I wish I could remember! I think I link to it originally and the link was broken and the study could not be found again? I wish I could remember like I said.

  3. I am 42 and just had my first mammogram. After all the scans and biopsies. I found that I have triple negative breast cancer stage 4. It has now traveled to my liver. I just started your product 4 days ago. Bought the nurses tea on Amazon since I don’t yet have the time to brew myself. I have two small children and a crazy positive will to live. I start Chemotherapy in the next few weeks and just got my port placed. Wondering what else you suggest besides Essiac tea.
    Thanks so much

    • Wow, Erin! You are so brave! How are you doing now. I know of so many cancer thrivers with breast cancer that have juiced and are their cancer fighting diet and took supplements alongside their chemotherapy and it helped them with their recovery so much. How are you doing now?

    • I’m doing pretty great actually. Thank you for asking. My last CT scan was in April 2023. I had 50-75% decrease in my liver/abdomen , lymph nodes and my breast tumor wasn’t even measurable. My next scan is in Aug. I am nervous but excited to see how much more has decreased. I continue to take the tea in the morning on an empty stomach. Sometimes even twice daily. Hope all is well.

  4. hi Cortney
    thanks for this info, i believe in this tea as well. just wondering about the prooportions… you say 3/4 of water, is this 3/4 of 1 litre? thanks

  5. Dear Anti-Cancer Mum,
    To make Essiac tea for my husband who has oesophagus and renal cancer – I ordered and just received a very hard and dried version of the Indian Rhubard Root and I wondered how one processes this into powder, I can’t cut it with a knife as it is too hard. I meant to order powder but got this version. Do I hydrate somehow and then pulverise? Do you have any suggestions, please? Many thanks.

    • I would start over and just try to buy a pre-blended version of either the original 4 herbs or the 8 herbs. I’m sure with perseverance you could make that work, but you will probably have so much on your plate being a caregiver.

  6. I have just begun drinking Essiac tea for a stomach tumor. My friend who made it for me told me to take it three times a day on an empty stomach. That is obviously not easy unless you are fasting. What do you think?

  7. Thank you for this. Since 2010 I’ve been healthy and preventing non hodgkins from reoccurring. Recently lumps by my ear have erupted. Using essaic tea now for several weeks, with a break or two for a few days in between. I can tell a difference but not what I was hoping for. Following a healthy diet, exercising etc and feel great otherwise. How long should I hope for Essaic to dissolve these lumps?

  8. Your paragraph above …. “Apparently there have been certain breast cancers that respond negatively to Essiac consumption. I have only seen spotty commentary on this and two small studies that utilized the Essiac as a topical herbal tincture to cancer cells in a laboratory setting. You can read those studies HERE.” The link behind the hyperlink for “HERE” is broken and returns an error code. Could you indicate your source for the studies referenced? Thanks so very much….
    Blessings,,,,,

  9. Hello, Thank You immensely for your website, and sharing your story. I’m very interested in using Essiac Tea but want to ensure the source is legitimate and safe. Are you getting the tea from the same place or another? I went to the main website and the herbalist that made it has since passed away, and also does not include as best as I can tell the Essiac official trademark as recommended by the other website you give. I’ve read that it may be better to start with 10% sheep sorrel and wanted to know your overall opinion on %? Do you know anything about essiacnorthwest.com? Any additional or new info you have on Essiac Tea will be greatly appreciated. Also, what is the specific omega you used in Bugwig? Thank You again and may God Bless you and your family! Very Sincerely, ~ Lynnette

  10. Hi , i fallow you by email , i was diagnose 2 years ago stage 1 breast cancer , refused the operation , radiation went w natural , Gerson therapy the best closest a could for almost a years give and take but sure the 90 day . Pass some nasty parasite and candida with coffee enema , take supplement vita , nie feel amazing , but when had 3 thermograp imaging noting change exept the last on had more warm zone , ultra sound result say not lumphnod inflame , nothing suspicious, did MRI doc say the tumor is 2.1/2 was 1.5 cm initially. My ? I understand you not doc but love to hear your opinion, what Next , should get remove w no radiation ? Continue w natural protocol ? Can tumor dissolve ?

  11. Hello
    Thank you for telling us your story, it’s excellent.
    I’m in the UK and would like to start making the tea for a family member. However on researching suppliers for the herbs I found it difficult to source a reliable supplier of sheep sorrel root. I’ve purchased some seeds to grow it myself but it can take a year or two for the roots to be suitable I believe.
    Can you help me with a trustworthy supplier please?

  12. You noted above that Essaic tea potentially should not be used during chemo. Why? Does it have an adverse effect or is more in how it makes you feel? Can you refer me to an herbalist. I am scheduled to start chemo on Tuesday (Sept 15) and want to do combine holistic with medicine.

  13. I had cancer in my thigh ,testicle, bowl, lower intestine, upper thigh with large emerging tumours and possibly still in my heel bone[all on right side of body. I only remembered essiac after using other things even though I had it in the cupboard. I took up to 100 apricot kernels per day[cyanide], 20 drops of lugals Iodine[poison] per day plus lemon seed extract plus baking soda and maple syrup[see Dr Simoncini] plus 9000 iu non ascorbic Vit c per day plus Percys Powders[read his book about sheep cancer] plus termeric plus Gumbi Gumbi[traditional Australian indigenous cancer cure]. Cancer is Mycellium Fungus[million types] which makes up 1/4 of the Earths biomass. Fungus consumes sugar at a rate 14 times that of healthy cells and tumours run hot to the touch. That is why sugar must be avoided except wjth soda/syrup mix in which the cancer greedily sucks in the syrup with the baking soda killing the tumour. In nature fungus has a symbiotic relationship with the tree and feeds the tree nutrients and the tree feeds the fungus sugar. Fungus takes over body in high sugar acid environment. Lugals Iodine will not react with healthy tissue but will create 1st or 2nd degree burns if tipped onto exposed tumours. the pain nearly caused me to commit suicide but I was in very advanced stage of fungus takeover. An alkaline diet is essential for recovery. JD Rockefeller shut down this knowledge in the 20s and murdered Royal Raymond Rife plus many others to bring in his oil based pills.

  14. How many weeks did you take Flor-essence while battling cancer? I’m currently brewing my own Essiac but wonder if the Flor-essence may be a better way to go till I shrink this tumor.

    • Floressence was great bu expensive. I switched to making my own which you can read about in this post.:) I drank 2-3X daily for months until I found out I was pregnant, although for me personally I noticed a change in my lymph node size within just a few weeks.

  15. how do you get these thoroughly cleaned inside? Such as the dried herbs that may still be in the tea? Will stick to the inside of the bottle? Also, are you baking these in the 300-degree oven for 20 minutes before canning? or do you use the tea before it can go bad?

  16. Did you at CCFO half hr after this?? Can you give me your holistic dr name? I too am in the Atlanta area and actually have Szabo (pure chance) as our oncologist. I hope you reply. I posted elsewhere regarding your diet but never got a response. Can you email me instead? I appreciate it very much.

    • Issa, I’m so sorry it has been so long since your comment. MY holistic doc retired but there are several you can check out: Dr. Darwell, Dr. Hank Sloan, Dr. Bergeron, Dr. Ellie Campbell, Dr. Wichman

  17. Hi Courtney, very very grateful!
    Can you please post How-To Steps for a really home made alternative? This one is still pre-made, store bought tea. Also, what are the other 4 herbs in the 8-herb concoction? Would there be an equally potent and effective herb to replace some of the hard to locate ingredients?

    • Hey Cynthia, I just personally wouldn’t mess with homemade if you have cancer. This is a reputable brand it is extremely inexpensive and you’re getting the original 4 herb recipe with the sheep sorrel roots. Check out the Essiac Facebook page for more info about homemade if you’re interested.

  18. Mega thanks Courtney for the blog….how long can a person take Essiac Tea Capsules or the actual Home Made Tea Version you describe…I don’t believe Bill Henderson mentioned anything about the length of time it takes to get results with the Essiac in his book…
    I’ve been doing the Essiac Capsules (on my own research) daily for about two years since July 2015 for Advanced Prostate Cancer (with several lesions metastatic to pelvis and possible rib) diagnosed at Mayo Rochester…Malignant neoplasm of prostate….they basically have said do the Hormonal Deprivation Therapy drug called Degarelix Acetate (Firmagon 80mg solution Subcutaneous every 28 days in abdominal region.

  19. Do the Essiac capsules work instead of mixing the tea….just taking them with water one hour before meals?
    And also can they be continued to be taken dor years with out a pause?
    Mega thanks, jk

    • Hi Jay, Nurse Caisse didn’t ever use capsules to my knowledge so I’d stick to the tea. I like to take a small break from the tea every now and then. The Essiac Facebook group would be an excellent place to ask of others’ experiences. 🙂

  20. Hi Courtney, When you talk about Essiac as a detox, what exactly are the side effects? You said you used for 3 weeks than gave yourself a week break. Just wondering.

    • Also, wanted to add I was diagnosed with Sll @ Cll Lymphoma in 2014. In watch & wait, blood work has been normal. I do have enlarged lymph nodes in my neck, they have slowly decreased in size but are still there. I want them gone!! Put myself on protocol, wanting to add to that protocol. You are the first blog that I have come across that is similar to my situation. It was truly like a breath of fresh air to hear your testimony. Thank you
      🙂

      • Hi Tonya, your diagnosis is very familiar to mine. I will find out today if they will suggest treatment or do the watchful waiting. How are you doing and how is the tea helping you?

    • For me HEADACHE sometimes…almost immediately. Also nausea sometimes, especially if consumed too close to meals. That’s it for me. 🙂 Other detox symptoms can include skin break outs, digestive upset, sweating, etc…

  21. Thank you so much for this tutorial. Have been looking into consuming this tea post endometrial cancer surgery. So you are using it as a preventative/maintenance protocol now?

  22. Thank you for info on brewing tea. I am in need of more protocols. Have been dx w/ breast cancer bilateral. Am in shock, have difficulty speaking of this. Have decided not to go traditional route. Am doing Budwig, Proteolytic Enzyme and EGCG plus other supplements.

    • Marielena, you’re doing great. Those are great protocols. Are you just choosing a few or following a protocol laid out by someone you’re working with? Maybe try adding Transfer Point Beta Glucan and a high plant based diet along side it. 🙂 You can read my entire protocol on my blog. Also- Chris Wark’s Square One coaching program is excellent. There’s a link on the front page of my blog.

  23. Hi Courtney, thank you for your blog…encouraging and educational! I wonder if you have read anything about brain tumours and the use of essiac tea? I read in one article that due to the tumour breaking down, that could be stroke causing. But on other sites I have not found any “buts” to using it. Take care, Carlene