Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Essiac tea is a tea made from a combination of four herbs: burdock root, Indian rhubarb, sheep sorrel, and slippery elm. According to the cancer.gov website, there are no peer reviewed studies proving that essiac tea helps to treat or cure cancer.
One in vitro study analyzing the herbal compound reports antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects.[1] However, in vitro studies are not always representative of real-life expression.
There are a few case reports, animal studies, or in vitro studies on individual compounds in the tea ingredients but none of these conclusively state that Essiac makes any meaningful difference in outcomes or experience for the cancer patient.
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[1] Seely D, Kennedy DA, Myers SP, et al. In vitro analysis of the herbal compound Essiac. Anticancer Res. 2007;27(6B):3875-3882