has anybody tried Essiac tea?

where is Sean when you need him? Admins are you going to give chapter and verse on why essaic tea is a load of old twaddle... or will you just remove the post?

there's so much information on the web about the tea, but it seems a lot o f money just to buy a litre. before i try to buy some for my mum to try who now just started on her chemo again, i would like to see some truth about it, of course, my friend's sister;s experience would also count

Ohelin,

I'm not going to "knock" Essiac Tea before I know more about it.

But, rather than rely on anecdotes that simply highlight coincidences without showing whether things might have been even better without it (i.e. highlighting a hindrance), I want some evidence.

So, can anyone reading this please point us in the direction of some independent, scientific, repeatable, double-blind, statistically sound, peer-reviewed, trails that show whether (and, if so, when) this is effective?

If not, then I'd be inclined to save my money.

Hope that this helps.

Thanks
Gary

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"One step at a time"

There is absolutely no scientific evidence that Essiac Tea cures cancer, and some of its side effects alone can be detrimental to health. Here is what Cancer research Uk have to say regarding Essiac Tea:
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default_printer_friend.asp?page=24499#evidence

Back in the days when I was newly diagnosed with cancer I decided, like many people, to try complimentary therapies alongside conventional treatment. It’s the usual syndrome of ‘clutching at straws’ where anything is worth a try no matter what the cost. So I bought some Essiac Tea and prepared large batches of it to keep in the fridge. First of all, it tasted so disgusting that it made me physically sick and secondly, at the back of my mind I realised that if this was a ‘cure’ for cancer then the disease would have been eradicated by now. Also, a point I think is important, I've never heard of anyone taking it before they get cancer, so it can't be called preventative either. As with many such claims, even if one ingredient is said to be beneficial, such huge amounts would have to be ingested to make it work. I stopped taking the tea before chemotherapy as the tea contains oxalates that can cause kidney damage, as can chemotherapy. I’ve read about so-called cancer cures from Essiac Tea, but not one case has been proven.
Kitty xx

Thank you for asking the question in the first place. I had never heard of this tea before, and by raising the question here you have helped me to learn some facts.

Gary

i've been doing a lot research on this tea in the last few days.
well, i shall clarify that it is my mum who is having Ovarial cancer, she is in china,
April last year she was diagnoised , and went through operation, chemo and ect. her CA125 never went back to normal, the best was near 40, and this year, about three months ago, her CA125 went up again, over 1000, and last month just before her chemo , her CA125 was near 4000 again. she has been trying herbal tea ( from traditional chinese medicine doctor) all the time, i've also been chinese website about cancer, and seems most, maybe 99.9% people have herbal .
i came to this site trying to see if there is any other alternative.

of the main herbs in this Essiac tea, i do recognize one, ruhbarb root, as it is commonly used in chinese medicine.
i will check with my mum see if it is on her prescription as well.

thank you James.

i am sceptical about any herbal remedy claiming to be able to cure cancer myself as well, but do believe some remedy do help.

As my mum is in china, i would not be able to get help from the nurses here, i came here hoping to learn more about things, and possibly treatment experience from people in this forum

well, since my mother's illness, friends and family relatives do come to her about remidies tried by people they know who have cancers.

, Kitty, thank you for sharing your experience.

there is a saying in chinese, Good medicine tastes bitter.

i am not surprise to read that it tasts disgusting.

thank you

Hello,

My Mum buys me Essiac , in a bottle , which you take on a spoon.

My consultant can't say if it does any good or not but says it won't do me any harm (unless I'm on chemo).

He has a man with bowel cancer that takes it and is still well against the odds.

So I would say it's down to what you believe in until they do some trials on it.

Diane.