Gary,
I have serious doubts whether essiac tea is really a cancer cure. However, I believe some of the ingredients are very good for the body in general. I'm sure even suggesting the medicinal properties of herbs will stir a controversy but some will agree with even the beneficial merits of garlic.
Burdock Root is one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in both western and Chinese herbal medicine. It is used to treat conditions caused by an overload of toxins such as throat and other infections, boils, abscesses, eczema and other skin disorders. A diuretic, it is used for gout and for arthritic swelling and deposits within the joints. Burdock root is also used as a blood cleanser and to help rid the body of waste products and for helping rid the body of heavy metals. The Japanese believe eating long roots promotes long life and burdock is exactly that, a long root.
Slippery Elm is used extensively for inflammation of the lungs, bowels, stomach, heart, diseases of the female organs, kidney and bladder. It apparently soothes ulcerated or cancerous stomachs and heals all mucus membranes. It is also an immune system booster.
Mucilage has a smooth acting cleansing action. The cleansing action is due to the sticky substance found in the gum resins of the plant, which helps dissolve mucus that has been deposited in the tissues of your body organs, lymph glands and nerve channels.
Slippery Elm has a lubricating action that protects and softens all the membrane linings in the body, especially those membranes damaged by chemotherapy and other cancer treatments. Membranes damaged and inflamed from other illnesses might also be healed or helped by Slippery Elm.
As part of the cleansing action, the gum resins in Slippery Elm bark gather up dissolved toxic waste in your body, including your bowels and helps discharge them accordingly.
Sheep Sorrel is high in vitamins A and B-complex, C, D, E and K. It is very rich in minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, silicon, sulfur chlorine and trace amounts of iodine and zinc.
Beneficial elements in sheep sorrel are the carotenoids and chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has been shown in lab studies to increase resistance to x-rays, purify the liver, stimulate the regeneration of fresh tissue, relieve pancreas swelling, cleanse the walls of blood vessels and strengthen the cell walls. Vitamin A strengthens the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells and T-Cells. It is the white blood cells and the T-Cells that are known to destroy cancerous cells.
Turkey rhubard aids and helps cleanse the digestive canals and the entire digestive tract, improves digestion and appetite. It stimulates colon action and glandular secretions, alleviates bowel pain, clears colon blockage, duodenum ulcers and is an excellent stomach tonic. Turkey rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) should not be confused with domestic rhubarb, the variety commonly used to make rhubarb pies
Echinacea is one of the most popular herbal products on the market. It has been used for years in the fight against ailments that increase the stress on the immune system; upper respiratory conditions such as colds, sore throat, enlarged lymph glands (tonsillitis), coughs, flu, and ear infections. Studies have found this plant to be highly anti-bacterial and anti-viral, probably due to its stimulating effect on the human immune system. The ability to combat infections has given Echinacea a reputation for relieving fevers.
Echinacea (purple coneflower). The subject of more than 350 scientific studies, most conducted in Europe, Echinacea seems to stimulate the immune system nonspecifically rather than against specific organisms. In laboratory tests, Echinacea increased the number of immune system cells and developing cells in bone marrow and lymphatic tissue, and it seemed to speed their development into immunocompetent cells (cells that can react to pathogens). It speeds their release into circulation, so more are present in blood and lymph, ~and increases their phagocytosis rate--the rate at which they can digest foreign bodies. Echinacea also inhibits the enzyme hyaluronidase, which bacteria use to enter tissues and cause infection. This inhibition helps wounds to heal by stimulating new tissue formation.
Echinacea exhibits interferon like antiviral activity documented through extensive experiments in Germany. For example, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 180 volunteers, Echinacea's therapeutic effectiveness for treating flu-like symptoms was "good to very good" (Braunig et al., 1992). Another study showed that orally administered Echinacea extracts significantly enhanced phagocytosis in mice (Bauer et al., 1988). Water-soluble Echinacea components strongly activated macrophages (Stimpel et al., 1984), enhanced immune system cell motility, and increased these cells' ability to kill bacteria. Other immune system cells were stimulated to secrete the disease-fighting tumor necrosis factor and interleukins 1 and 6 (Roesler et al., 1991). Another study showed that Echinacea polysaccharides increased the number of immunocompetent cells in the spleen and bone marrow and the migration of those cells into the circulatory system. The authors said these effects resulted in excellent protection of mice against consequences of lethal listeria and ~candida infections (Coeugniet and Elek, 1987).
Echinacea's effects are not yet fully understood, but it is known that a number of constituents simulate the immune system to counter both bacterial and viral infections. The polysaccharides have an antihaluronidase action, inhibiting the ability of viruses to enter and take over cells, while the alkamides are antibacterial and antifungal.
We eat vitamins in many forms and vegetal sources of vitamins and minerals are the basis of our nutritional pyramid which promotes eating fruits and vegetables to the tune of five servings per day. The key is to know what is in what we ingest and to avoid overindulgence.
Ed
