# Ojibwa Tea (Essiac Tea)



## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I have been making Ojibwa Tea for many years now. The difference between Ojibwa Tea and Essiac Tea are that the latter has 4 more herbs added to the original formula. The name Essiac comes from the nurse, Rene Caisse, who worked long and hard to perfect the original amounts, dosages and adding the 4 extra herbs. And in testing both the original 4 herb and the 8 herb.

Ojibwa Tea has been used successfully to treat and prevent cancer, treat autism and much more. Nothing works for everyone. Do the research and decide for yourself.

The following was taught to me by Sweetgrass many years ago. The order of ingredients was very important.

Ojibwa Tea

24 parts Burdock Root (Arctium lappa)
16 parts Sheep Sorrel whole herb (Rumex acetosella)
1 part Turkey Rhubarb root (Rhuem palmatum or Rhuiem officinale)
4 parts Slippery Elm Bark (Ulmus fulva)

Grind all together into a powder.

** A more usable recipe which makes 4 oz dry tea - 1 gallon liquid tea

½ cup Burdock Root
3/8 cup Sheep Sorrel
1 Tablespoon Turkey Rhubarb
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Slippery Elm Bark

Grind together . Bring 1 gallon plus ¼ cup (spring, well or distilled) water to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add 4 oz herbs. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Leave covered and turn off heat, allow to steep for 12 hours.

After 12 hours pour into glass jars with lids. You may strain the tea out but best left in. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or make a smaller amount at a time if there is no refrigeration. Store in glass only.

Drink at room temperature or colder. Never warm or hot.

Aggressive (treatment) dose is 6 oz of tea 3 times per day

Maintenance (preventative) dose is 4 oz a day

Measure the dry tea by weight. 
1 oz to a quart
4 oz to a gallon
etc.

You can add a little extra water to account for loss in steam but you don;t have to.

If I can think of anything else I will post it

You can search Essiac or Rene Caisse to read more about it all.

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Additional information

It is my opinion that no regular filter would render fluorinated or chlorinated completely clean and safe. However, if that's your only option then use what you have.

The sheep sorrel is used as whole herb, incuding root. It has many uses and is of great worth.

The Turkey Rhubarb is either Rhuem palmatum or Rhuiem officinale. They're interchangeable containing the same amounts of the same properties. Rhuem p. is less bitter and what I grow and use.

It is actually believed that the original formula was Wild Rhubarb which is of the Rumex and not any of the Rhuem sp. Howevere, the two Rhuem above have been tested by herbalists and used for years instead. Furthermore, the company that bought the original recipe from Ren Caisse, used Rhuem in the blend they sold.

Sweetgrass believed that the original was actually common Dock. Rumex occidentalis.

The best time to harvest most roots is in the fall, when the plant has died back and the essentials are drawn back into the root.

The best time to harvest whole herb is just before flowering. Summer for many herbs.

Common garden rhubarb has similar medicinal properties but in very small amounts and is not preferred at all.

It's best to use dry herb for a couple of reasons but one of the main reasons is the weight. The recipe and the amount that goes into the water are always done by weight. It took me some time to come up with a recipe that used volume instead of weight but is still based on weight.

You can easily cut the bur stalks out as soon as you see them and keep your Burdock growing for use of leaves and root. The leaves are very useful. You can also encourage a wild patch and keep it out of other places.

............................

**A note on Slippery Elm Bark. Harvesting Slippery Elm Bark must be done with great care. Wrongly harvested and the whole tree could die. Ethically wild harvesting is so important, to us, the earth and generations to come.**


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Best to drink on an empty stomach and wait 1 hour before eating, if possible.

Shake before using, even if you strained. but best with solids left in.

It will be a bit thick.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

Never use fluoridated or chlorinated water.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Jewel said:


> Never use fluoridated or chlorinated water.


Now that is important information. What about fluoridated and chlorinated water which has been filtered? (PUR, Katydyn, Brita).


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

VoorTrekker said:


> Now that is important information. What about fluoridated and chlorinated water which has been filtered? (PUR, Katydyn, Brita).


Most of those "common" filters can take out a lot of chlorine, but usually not all of it.

They generally don't take out much - ( if any at all ) - fluoride


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## Quills (Jun 14, 2011)

Jewel -- thank you for posting this. I have a very personal story about Rene Caisse's tea that I would like to share.

In early 1996, three months after my youngest son was born, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. The tumour in her left breast had grown to the size of a softball, and spread. The doctors gave her approximately six months to live, and suggested that she get her affairs in order. 

Mom was not a woman who accepted bad news easily, and in her typical fighting-Irish fashion, decided that cancer was not going to take her if she had anything to say about it. A dear friend of hers had heard about the cancer-fighting properties of this tea, and my mother -- who was the least likely person in the world to believe in "miracle cures" or herbal anything -- decided that she had nothing to lose and started taking the tea. She talked to her doctor about it, and he said that as a doctor, he could NOT formally recommend it, but if it were his mother, wife, sister, he'd insist that they take it.

She got the recipe from the friend, bought the herbs, and blended it herself -- she did not take one of the "preblended miracle mixes" which are all over store shelves.

She lived for four and a half years. When she died, the tumour in her breast was the size of a walnut. The fact was, the herbs were working, but the cancer had been too advanced, spread too far. Her doctor told us that he thought, had they caught it six months earlier, that she would have beaten it.

The thing is, taking that tea gave her four years longer than anyone had expected her to have. In those four years, she witnessed two family marriages, the birth of another grandchild, and countless hours of family togetherness. We were able to have conversations we would never have had. My children have memories of her that they would not have had.

I can't say enough good about this tea. I don't believe in "miracle cures", but I do believe that the cures, or treatments, for most of mankind's ills are available in nature in some form or other, and we just need to use the brains we were born with to figure out what is what.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Jewel, thank you very much for sharing this mix. I have a small patch of sheep sorrel root I intend to harvest in February because of its cancer fighting ability. I had been wondering how to incorporate into a medicine.

What’s the latin name of the plant you call turkey rhubarb? I don’t know a plant with that common name. :dunno:


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## redhorse (Dec 27, 2012)

Jewel, thanks for sharing this. 

Question for you:

Does it matter what time of year you need to harvest any of the ingredients? And do they need to be dried or is fresh ok also? 

We have all of the plants around here except the Turkey Rhubarb. I have rhubarb plants that I use for cooking, but I have no idea what species they are. 

Ugh, and we have TONS of burdock. I hate this time of year. The horses get loads of burs in their manes and tails. I always tried to erradicate it. Now I may think twice!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Cotton said:


> Jewel, thank you very much for sharing this mix. I have a small patch of sheep sorrel root I intend to harvest in February because of its cancer fight ability. I had been wondering how to incorporate into a medicine.
> 
> What's the latin name of the plant you call turkey rhubarb? I don't know a plant with that common name. :dunno:


Turkey Rhubarb

also known as Rheum palmatum, Rhubarb root, da huang, and Indian rhubarb, Chinese rhubarb

And a link for more info about this plant and its use in Essiac
http://www.healthfreedom.info/turkey rhubarb v. indian rhubarb.htm


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Thanks Grimm… for clearing that up? Lol At least now I know the Rheum genus is a minor player in the mix. The Rumex and Arctium genus are the major cancer fighters (sheep sorrel is a rumex). I can also see where the Polygonum genus could be swapped for the rheum and would have been used before Europeans arrived.

Rule of thumb… the way I was taught for harvesting plant material for the medicinal chemical compounds. Think of where the chemical “vigor” (for lack of a better term) of a plant is located as it grows.

Roots, after the first frost and before the plant puts up new growth in the spring. The chemicals are concentrated in the root.

Stem, leaves, just as the bloom starts to form.

Blooms, just as they begin to open.

Tree inner bark, when the sap is rising just as buds begin to open.

That said, there are lots of exceptions that vary with species. Also, if I need a plant badly I will harvest it even if it’s not in its “prime”. A mix or amount used will have to be adjusted.

In my experience fresh is always better than dried. Especially with plants in the mint family, they have lots of volatile oils that evaporate. Yet I dry lots of mints, I find they keep their potency longer vacuum sealed in mason jars.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheum_palmatum

_Rheum palmatum_
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scientific classification
Order: putales 
Family: Polygonaceae 
Genus: Rheum 
Species: R. palmatum

Binomial name: Rheum palmatum L.

Rheum palmatum, commonly called Turkish rhubarb, Turkey rhubarb, Chinese rhubarb, Indian rhubarb, Russian rhubarb or rhubarb root (and within Chinese herbal medicine *da-huang*).

The species "R. tanguticum" and "R. officinale," also under the categorical term of the Chinese drug "da-huang," are closely related to "Rheum palmatum". Today, these three species are regarded as superior in performance to other species-existing rhubarbs. Though "Rheum palmatum" is commonly misinterpreted to be one in the same with the familiar "R. rhubarbarum" garden rhubarb we eat, there are several facets falsifying this assumption. Size is the most evident of the facets used to differentiate these two closely related species. While most garden species only grow to a mere few feet in height, Chinese rhubarb can produce as high as a "six to ten foot jointed stalk," with loosely branched clusters of flowers along the tips that mature red in color from their often yellow or white blooms.

Its leaves are rather "large, jagged and hand - shaped," growing in width of at least two to three feet. It is important to recognize that only those species of "rheum" with lobed leaves are accredited for their medicinal use.[1] Subsequently, garden rhubarb, "R. rhubarbarum," as well as any other variety of species with either "wavy" or "undulating leaves" are not founded for any medicinal purpose.[1] Additionally, one can decipher Chinese rhubarb by its rather thick, deep roots whereas the perennial garden plant is composed predominantly of "fleshy rhizomes and buds (http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/growing).

Habitat, cultivation and preparation
Though native in the regions of western China, northern Tibet, and the Mongolian Plateau, Chinese Rhubarb was used immensely in other parts of the world, such as Europe, for hundreds of years before its source of plant identity was actually discovered in the 18th century. As a consequence of these findings, today Chinese rhubarb is also found flourishing in the West and in the wild. It is extensively cultivated, no doubt for its great medicinal advantages and uses. Like all flowering plants, it is grown from the protective coat of a seed in the spring, or by "root division" in the seasons of Spring or Autumn, where the temperature is not yet too hot or too cold. A rather spacious environment where it can receive an abundance of sunlight for the production of sugars, as well as its development in "well-drained soil," proves to be most efficient for the augmentation of this species. Since it is the roots and rhizome which serve as this plant' source of medicinal usage, special care is taken in their preparation. When 6-10 years old, the rhizomes of these plants are removed from the ground in the Autumn when both its stems and leaves changed to yellow wild. Furthermore, the removal of the lateral rootlets and the crown are removed, leaving only the root. Any debris around the root is cleaned off, the coarse exterior bark removed, and the root cut and divided into cube-like pieces to increase its surface area, thereby decreasing the time needed for drying.

Traditional and current medicinal uses
Of the numerous herbs renown for their medicinal benefits in early civilizations, Chinese rhubarb remains one of few still used today in both "conventional and herbal medicine."

In ancient China, rhubarb root was taken and recognized as a means to cure stomach ailments and as a "cathartic" (an agent used to relieve severe constipation), as well as its use as a poultice (a preparation of fresh, moistened, or crushed dried herbs, applied externally) for "fevers and edema" (swelling caused by fluid retention in the tissues of the body). It was given its Latin name by the renowned Carolus Linnaeus in the year 1759, and made to augment its proliferation to British botanical gardens around 1762.

The conditions treated by Chinese rhubarb in ancient times are the same as it is used to treat today. The root (the predominantly medicinal part of the species) is still known for its astringent capabilities (as well as a strong laxative); "the tannins in the root caused an astringent action making it useful in the early stages of diarrhea, dysentery, and other intestinal problems." It also serves as an antibacterial in its ability to treat "toothaches, shingles, fevers, hypertension, burns, acute appendicitis, acute infectious hepatitis, conjunctivitis, swelling and pain of gums, and sores of the mouth or tongue."

Today, Rhubarb festivals persist in areas "all over the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia. These "gatherings" appeal to both travelers and "rhubarb buffs" all around the world. For instance, the first International Symposium on Rhubarb was held in China in 1990 (Foster). Its objective was to verify the scientific data and treatment of Chinese Rhubarb used by Chinese pharmacopoeias!

Medicinal
The Silk RoadAnthraquinones (about 3-5%), rhein, aloe-emodin, emodin wild
Flavonoids (catechin) wild 
Phenolic acids wild 
Tannins (5-10%) wild
Calcium oxalate wild

Key actions
Laxative
Anti-inflammatory
Astringent
Stops bleeding 
Antibacterial

Health risks
Though the root of the Chinese rhubarb is a key facet of herbal medicine, its leaves can actually be poisonous if consumed in a high enough dosage. The oxalic acid crystals found in the leaves may cause a health risk. Due to the swelling of the tongue and throat, breathing canals become constricted, ultimately preventing breathing. Patients with "arthritis, kidney problems, inflammatory bowel disease, or intestinal obstruction" should refrain for consumption.

Additionally, pregnant women should avoid all intake since Rhubarb may cause uterine stimulation. If taken for an extended amount of time, adverse effects include: "hypertrophy of the liver, thyroid, and stomach, as well as nausea, griping, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea."


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

Thank you for posting this recipe Jewel, and Quills thank you for sharing as well:flower:

I lost a sister to breast cancer and had she received this treatment early on she may have had a chance at a longer life, and not have had to suffer through the conventional western treatments of chemo and radiation. It was just too late to effectively treat her by the time she sought out traditional care. 

I’m Ojibwa/Anishnaabe and worked for many years in an Aboriginal Health Care Centre that provided a fine balance between traditional and western medical model health care (first of it’s kind here). The outcomes for prevention, treatment (and education in traditional health care for our western health care providers - nurse practitioners, physicians, nurses and community members at large) were, and continue to be groundbreaking. 

Our lead physicians’ DW sought out traditional care and was successfully treated in the early stages of cancer by one of our healers. I am not sure what treatment regimen she was provided (it did include a course of herbal treatments...), nonetheless she went into remission. Because traditional treatments are much gentler and sometimes take a lengthier course of time to heal the system, early treatment is always the best option.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I'll answer all the questions I can here and then I will amend the original post to include the information as well.

&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..

VoorTrekker - "Now that is important information. What about fluoridated and chlorinated water which has been filtered? (PUR, Katydyn, Brita)."

It is my opinion that no regular filter would render fluoridated or chlorinated completely clean and safe. However, if that's your only option then use what you have. 

&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..

Quills, thank you so much for sharing that. Such things help others decide what's right for them but also helps healers understand more as well.
&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;

Cotton - "Jewel, thank you very much for sharing this mix. I have a small patch of sheep sorrel root I intend to harvest in February because of its cancer fighting ability. I had been wondering how to incorporate into a medicine.

What's the latin name of the plant you call turkey rhubarb? I don't know a plant with that common name. "

The sheep sorrel is used as whole herb, including root. It has many uses and is of great worth.

The Turkey Rhubarb is either Rhuem palmatum or Rhuiem officinale. They're interchangeable containing the same amounts of the same properties. Rhuem p. is less bitter and what I grow and use.

It is actually believed that the original formula was Wild Rhubarb which is of the Rumex and not any of the Rhuem sp. Howevere, the two Rhuem above have been tested by herbalists and used for years instead. Furthermore, the company that bought the original recipe from Ren Caisse, used Rhuem in the blend they sold.

Sweetgrass believed that the original was actually common Dock. Rumex occidentalis. 

&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..

Redhorse -" Does it matter what time of year you need to harvest any of the ingredients? And do they need to be dried or is fresh ok also?

We have all of the plants around here except the Turkey Rhubarb. I have rhubarb plants that I use for cooking, but I have no idea what species they are.

Ugh, and we have TONS of burdock. I hate this time of year. The horses get loads of burs in their manes and tails. I always tried to erradicate it. Now I may think twice!"

The best time to harvest most roots is in the fall, when the plant has died back and the essentials are drawn back into the root.

The best time to harvest whole herb is just before flowering. When the essentials are all up in the plant waiting to go into flowering.

There are a few exceptions to both but very few.

Common garden rhubarb has similar medicinal properties but in very small amounts and is not preferred at all.

It's best to use dry herb for a couple of reasons but one of the main reasons is the weight. The recipe and the amount that goes into the water are always done by weight. It took me some time to come up with a recipe that used volume instead of weight but is still based on weight.

You can easily cut the bur stalks out as soon as you see them and keep your Burdock growing for use of leaves and root. The leaves are very useful. You can also encourage a wild patch and keep it out of other places.

&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.

Lovetogrow, thank you! That is exactly as it should be, in my opinion. Conventional medicine is a gift, just like traditional medicine. Neither can be masters and both should work together.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

What I’ve posted here is what I know for myself to be true. What I have learned and results I’ve witnessed in my own patients and others over the years.

But, as much experience as I have, what I know is nothing compared what there is to know. I am no exert on anything and I do not believe in “Masters”, Humans are humans, fallible and imperfect.

Do the research yourself and decide what’s right for you. If you have a trusted care provider (doctor, herbalist etc) that advises you differently than what I have posted, use your own judgment on what to follow. 

Nothing works for everyone, no one is all knowing.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

I have no way of getting these herbs fresh so I went to amazon. I saw that they offer this tea already mixed. Is this something that I should buy or is it better to buy The herbs separate and mix my own. TIA

Freyadog


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Freyadog said:


> I have no way of getting these herbs fresh so I went to amazon. I saw that they offer this tea already mixed. Is this something that I should buy or is it better to buy The herbs separate and mix my own. TIA
> 
> Freyadog


Freshness is the key with herbs. Many herbs lose their potency rapidly. Especially those in the mint family which have highly volatile oils. For herbs I can't find in the wild I buy from https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/.

I know the herbs I buy from them are the freshest available, have been harvested at the proper time and processed correctly.

I don't know which herb company you saw on amazon. The vast majority (according to reports I've read) of these type products are grown and processed in china. At the end of the day there is no way to tell the age of these products.


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