Does Essaic Tea Have Untapped Healing Powers
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Essaic Tea.

Many tea lovers have become prone to ascribing magical qualities to tea that probably cannot be justified. For instance, many tea lovers have asserted that essaic tea can cure or reverse the spread of cancer. This probably seems like an exaggeration or wishful thinking. And perhaps it is. So rather than starting off with the debatable properties of essaic tea, let us first discuss exactly what it is. In general, it can be considered an herbal tea blend.

The origin of essaic is not in dispute. A Canadian nurse named Rene Caisse developed the herbal formula that is brewed as a tea. The name of the tea is derived from spelling her name backwards, although both "essiac" and "essaic" are used when referring to this alleged healing tea. Discovery of the formula of the four essaic herbs prompted scientific tests that showed promising results on test animals.

The four basic herbs in essiac tea include the root of Indian rhubarb, the inner bark of slippery elm, sheep sorrel, and greater burdock root. Note that some essaic fans claim that eight herbs are necessary for the tea. It is difficult to determine which recipe is authentic, or which is the most effective. The eight-herb essiac tea recipe also adds the following: watercress, kelp, red clover, and blessed thistle.

There are various essaic recipes available for brewing this seemingly miraculous tea. Some include four essaic herbs, while others rely on all eight herbs to make the tea. The quality of the herbal ingredients affects the effectiveness of the essaic recipe. Fresher ingredients seem to make the most potent essaic style tea. Essaic enthusiasts claim that old or dehydrated herbs produce a poor quality tea.

Are the healing powers of essaic tea ridiculous and over exaggerated? Maybe and maybe not. That is for you to judge for yourself. If you want anecdotal evidence, there is definitely plenty of it available on the Internet from people who claim that it works as a cure or as a form of alternative treatment. However, in many countries, the manufacturer cannot legally claim that a product will or will not do something medically unless it has been verified by testing. In this case, it has yet to be tested; however, there are a number of important things to keep in mind: aspirin was found in willow bark and the smallpox vaccine was discovered from cowpox. This means that it certainly is not out of the question that tea leaves could contain a medicinal cure as yet unknown.