Concerns With Essiac Tea
- The name for essiac tea is Caisse, backwards.blue cup and tea from a blue tea-pot image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
Essiac tea is a combination of four herbs that were once commonly used by the Ojibway Indians of Canada: slippery elm bark, burdock root, Indian rhubarb root and burdock root. Canadian cancer nurse Rene Caisse is credited with combining and introducing these herbs as a cancer-fighting medication. The American Cancer Society website reports that while some of the herbs in essiac tea have been shown to contain anti-cancer properties, there are no published medical trials that promote the use of essiac as a cancer treatment. - Though essiac is generally considered safe, it may cause some side effects such as nausea, vomiting, headache, liver or kidney damage and low blood sugar. Rare but severe allergic reactions are also posssible. The website Essian Info also warns that the product should not be use by pregnant or nursing women or by children.
- The American Cancer Society website stresses that many herbal medicines have not been adequately tested for reactions with other medicines, supplements or foods, and that even if testing has been completed, the findings are largely unavailable to consumers. For this reason, caution should be used if you are taking other medications. Consult your health-care professional and review your list of herbal or pharmaceutical medications before taking essiac tea.
- Herbal supplements can be powerful and useful medications when taken in the right dosage with a correct diagnosis. However, too often people self-diagnose their medical problems or rely on untrained "experts" for medical advice. Taking essiac tea as a remedy for illness without first receiving proper diagnosis or advice could delay treatment and allow a serious condition to worsen unnecessarily.
