Essiac Tea Benefits, Guide And History
- Authors: Christopher and Dana VanDeCar (Owners and Founders of Optimally Organic)
Essiac tea has been around for a very, very long time. We are talking about a far-reaching, fascinating history. Everything about its story points to the benefits of Essiac tea being added to your daily life.
Benefits of Essiac Tea
Clinical studies are continuously being conducted across the globe to better define the claims that something such as Essiac tea. To be sure, Essiac tea has been treasured for its beneficial properties for decades upon decades. Developed by Nurse Rene Caisse about a century ago, the origins of the tea can be traced back even further to the American Indians. Caisse took what she had learned from them and perfected an amazing 8-herb blend. Today, that mixture is celebrated the world over as an 8-herb ideal for optimal health and wellbeing.
The presence of antioxidants is one of the first Essiac tea benefits to appreciate in closer detail. One of the established purposes of antioxidants is to fight free radicals, which also means that antioxidants are essential for removing toxins.
What Does Essiac Tea Contain?
- Sheep Sorrel – Considered by Rene Caisse to be one of the most important herbs in Essiac Tea. It is rich in vitamin C and tannins, which are hailed as antioxidants.
- Burdock Root – Burdock root is a well-known natural supplement. Another key ingredient of Essiac Tea, burdock contains high levels of Vitamin A, selenium and minerals, particularly iron.
- Slippery Elm Bark – The bark of the slippery elm tree has long been used by tribes as a natural supplement and food. It contains high levels of calcium, magnesium Vitamins A, B, C and K. It also holds high amounts of tannins. Slippery elm bark also contains cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
- Turkish Rhubarb Root – Contains an abundance of vitamins and malic acid to carry oxygen to the body. Contains chromium, cobalt, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, zinc and potassium. Rhubarb is loaded with vitamins C and K, as well as various minerals. It is also low in calories. Finally, note the high fiber content of rhubarb.
- Watercress – Contains glycocides, which are known to inhibit and cleanse abnormal cells. Watercress also offers high levels of Vitamin A and C, calcium, iodine, magnesium, amino acids and more.
- Kelp – A well-known super-food, kelp adds a nutrition-dense green to the Essiac tea mixture. It contains chlorophyl, alginate, sterols, chelated minerals and over 25 vitamins!
- Red Clover – A source of isoflavones, you can also find calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C.
- Blessed Thistle – Contains plenty of potassium and sodium. Blessed Thistle has long been used as a traditional supplement in North America.
When combined in one easy-to-drink formula, Optimally Organic Essiac Tea can offer a wealth of benefits that can contribute to a better and healthier lifestyle.
Clearly, each one of the ingredients contained in essiac tea extract, essiac tea powder and essiac tea granules are powerhouses of vital nutritional properties. When combined in one easy-to-drink formula, Optimally Organic Essiac Tea can offer a wealth of benefits that can contribute to a better and healthier lifestyle.
Factors To Consider When Buying Essiac Tea
Essiac Tea comes in many different formulas, and not all products are as healthy or as high quality as others. It is important to buy organic Essiac Tea that adheres to the heart and soul of Rene Caisse’s 8-herb formula. Many Essiac tea blends on the market have made changes to the formula, or they have filled the blend with additives and other undesirables.
To be clear: Essiac tea is fine the way it is! Anything that deviates from the ideal 8 Herb formula is a WASTE OF TIME!
Optimally Organic only sells pure Essiac tea. All the herbs are grown organically, and they are monitored under strict conditions. These measures ensure the highest quality product. The herbs are mixed in similar proportions to Caisse's formula.
Optimally Organic Essiac Tea is available in extract, powder or granules. It can be enjoyed as a supplement daily.
How To Prepare Essiac Tea
Rene Caisse gave very specific directions for the preparation of Essiac Tea, with exact quantities and extremely particular instructions for boiling and cooling the mixture. While there is nothing inherently wrong with improving something, there is also something to be said for respecting institution. In many situations, the traditions work best. You can definitely apply that thought to Nurse Rene Caisse and Essiac tea.
In a modern context, Essiac tea is now available in an easy to prepare powder or tea mixture. It should still be brewed with care and respect, so you can enjoy it fully. The only significant difference between the way Rene Caisse made Essiac tea is that the blend you can purchase from Optimally Organic has been conveniently prepared in an accessible powder.
For general well-being, we recommend just 1 to 3 ounces of brewed Essiac tea per day. For serious issues, we recommend 9 ounces of brewed Essiac tea per day. It is important to NOT strain off the herbs when making your tea. Consuming the herbs with the tea dramatically increases the potency and effectiveness of this powerful blend.
Directions to make a 2-week supply for a therapeutic dose of 9 ounce of brewed tea (Optimally Organic Essiac Tea):
- Boil 132 ounces of purified or distilled water in a large pot.
- Add 4 ounces of loose Essiac powdered herbs.
- Simmer on medium heat for ten minutes, stir occasionally and keep covered.
- Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature for 4 to 12 hours.
- After 4 to 12 hours, stir well to create an even mixture and pour the entire contents into a clean. glass bottle using a funnel, keeping the herbs in the mixture.
A Little Piece of History About Essiac Tea
Reading the Tea Leaves
Our inquisitive nature ignites a desire in humans to know more, especially as it relates to our health. Let’s face it; we live in the information society and are connected globally via the internet. Those who are on a quest to begin or maintain a healthy lifestyle are grateful for this lifeline to knowledge. The body we dwell in now is only temporary. But shouldn’t this inspire us to be all the more conscious of what we eat? Taking good care of our health now can certainly increase our chances for a more enjoyable as we age. To function properly, our bodies demand proper nutrients that can be derived by eating whole foods and plants. They can also be obtained through daily supplements.
Thankfully, generations before us – who somehow managed to live without a smartphone – developed an interest in herbs and plants. They had a reverence for their agricultural land and the organic products it yielded. Long before food began to be packaged and loaded with harmful additives in manufacturing plants, people were more connected with the land. Sometimes, by sheer accident, they struck gold; they had ‘aha’ moments when they discovered that common herbs and plants possessed culinary and medicinal value.
The Story Of Nurse Rene Caisse
This is exactly what happened about 100 years ago to a Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse. This humble nurse had a heart for her patients. Serving them was not just a job; it was an honor. She stumbled upon an Indian medicine man’s herbal drink that transformed her life – and the lives of countless others. She was so impressed with it that she gave it a name: Essiac Tea. Look closely, and you will see that it’s her name spelled backwards. It was a painstakingly difficult blend of four practically unheard of harvested products: burdock root, slippery elm bark, Turkish Rhubarb root, and Sheep Sorrel leaves and roots.
What was it that triggered her interest in this tea? One of her elderly female patients claimed to have met the medicine man personally decades earlier. This Native American medicine man insisted he had a remedy that would help her. She was at the point in her life where anything was worth a try. He described the mixture, showed her what the ingredients were and how to make the tea. After giving her the secret formula, he instructed her to drink the tea daily. She followed his recommendation faithfully, and the results were surprisingly positive.
In 1924 Caisse used the recommended herbs to help to treat her suffering Aunt, who had been given only 6 months to live. She ended up living another 21 years. Caisse later treated her 72-year-old mother, who lived for an astonishing 18 additional years.
This Canadian nurse was extremely intrigued. Acting as a scientific researcher, Caisse gathered these weed-looking herbs. She only had the names of the ingredients; it was up to her to determine how to extract their benefits. And what about the exact ratio? In today’s recipes, we see each minute detail of what to add and in what order. Diligently, she conducted her own experiments brewing her Essiac tea and modifying it as she went. Through trial and error, she made one cup of her soothing tea after another. As a loving nurse, she presented them to her patients. And she did this at no charge. She believed it was her mission to help them in any way possible. Along the way, she kept detailed notes. When many of her patients saw dramatic improvement, she hastened her production of Essiac Tea.
After refining Essiac tea, Nurse Caisse and a host of others since her have been enjoying its benefits. Today, Essiac tea is sold worldwide as herbal supplements. Some prefer Essiac tea bag cut, while others use Essiac tea powder. It’s important to note that Essiac tea, unlike most ready-made tea bag cut in stores, isn’t simply steeped a few moments. It’s a different, time-intensive process. Nonetheless, the benefits are profoundly worth the wait.
Passing the Baton
For decades, Nurse Rene Caisse guarded her secret recipe; she wanted to ensure that others after her passing wouldn’t alter the mixture and present it as an original remedy. She had invested the greater part of her life recreating the recipe, and she wanted to insure its integrity. But, finally in 1977, Nurse Rene Caisse passed along the secret formula for Essiac Tea to a Canadian company.
""Respect and love of our fellow man [is] more important than riches."" -- Rene Caisse
