In the 1920s, a rural Canadian nurse delivered hope to cancer sufferers in the form of a natural treatment called the Essiac formula, which was drunk as a tea. The reputation of Essiac tea as a miraculous cancer fighter has carried into the 21st century, its purported benefits supported only by its traditional use in Native American tribal medicine and word-of-mouth success.
History
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), nurse Rene Caisse was given a tea in 1922 by a breast cancer survivor who purportedly received it from an Ojibwa Native American tribal healer and attributed her recovery to the formula. Information from the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) states that Caisse subsequently obtained the recipe for the tea. Caisse gave her treatment a name ("Essiac" is the anadrome of her surname) and started administering it to cancer patients in 1924. Long after a clinic she purchased closed in the 1940s, she continued to give cancer sufferers Essiac free of cost. Shortly before she died, she gave the formulation to a Canadian corporation.
Ingredients and Properties
Caisse kept the ingredients in Essiac secret while she used it as a treatment. The NCAHF website states that these have since been revealed as burdock, Indian rhubarb, slippery elm and sorrel. Believers in Essiac claim that these herbs strengthen the immune system and act as anti-inflammatories. The NCI notes that while some ingredients in Essiac have these properties, others actually encourage tumor growth.
Studies in Canada
Caisse used subjective observation, not scientific research, to defend the benefits of Essiac. Purportedly, cancer sufferers' tumors softened and made their way to the skin's surface, discharged with pus and other "fleshy material," says the NCAHF website. Resperin Corporation, the company Caisse entrusted with the Essiac formula, attempted to gain the Canadian government's permission to conduct studies using human subjects.
As a first measure, a review of 86 patients who'd taken Essiac was submitted by physicians to health officials at the Bureau of Human Prescription Drugs in the early 1980s. The NCAHF website reports that of the patients who survived, well over half received no benefits from Essiac. Three survivors that remained in stable condition had also received conventional cancer treatments. Canadian health officials ultimately concluded that Essiac is beneficial only to the patient's state of mind. Essaic cannot be marketed in Canada, but an agreement between the country's Health Protection Branch and Resperin allows doctors to give it to cancer patients on "compassionate grounds."
U.S. Findings
In the U.S., Essiac has undergone laboratory and animal studies only. The NCI indicates that research conducted on mice by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in the 1970s and 1980s shows that Essiac had no anticancer properties. The NCI also did its own research on Essiac, testing a liquid sample in 1983 with similar results. High dosages of Essiac killed animal subjects. One 2004 laboratory study conducted at Indiana University-Purdue University showed that Essiac slowed the growth of prostate cancer cells. The NCI notes that no clinical studies (those that use human participants) have been conducted on Essiac. The NCI further states that Resperin sought to get Essiac approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, but its application was denied.
Consumer Concerns
Lacking FDA approval, Essiac cannot claim to cure cancer or any other medical condition. It may be sold as a health tonic or herbal dietary supplement only. More than one company markets and sells products similar to Essiac. The FDA strongly urges you to beware of companies that use unproven claims to sell you herbal remedies for cancer and other serious medical conditions. Red flags to avoid are products that purport to cure all types of cancer, shrink tumors or make them disappear or that claim to be "natural," "non-toxic" or alternatives to conventional cancer treatments. Always talk to your doctor before starting a new treatment or adding one to your existing treatment protocol.
