Following are selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List on the subject of essiac tea. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!
Happy hunting :)
From: s_arora@
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 19:12:38 EDT
On Thu, 22 Oct 1998 13:45:46 EDT Jnglecats@ writes:
<<Sandy, how much of this do you give Booey, and how often?
does anyone know if there are any dangers or side effects at all
to this? I want to get >>
As far as I know, Essiac Tea has no dangers or side-effects. Usually (not saying always tho one could debate this point) herbs just don't have the noxious side-effects that something synthesized in a lab would. So as long as George doesn't OD on this stuff, he should be ok.
I don't use the name brands tho have been told that only the "true" Caisse formula should be taken..I consider that marketing hype. I got a bottle at my local HFS which has the 4 ET herbs + Cat's Claw added to it. It has the human dosage so I just divided it by close to 20 to be on the safe side. This comes out to 1/3 tsp a day of the liquid mixed w/ 2/3 water. I don't even bother to measure any more,,just dump some in his food like I do the ACV, liquid aminos etc. Course I also gave 1 dose of a homeo remedy in June right after she found the polyp and told me 90% of mouth polyps are cancerous. So dunno if the homeo remedy did it or the ET combo. But I'm gonna stick w/ the combo anyway cuz I figure it can't hurt.
Oh, in case u are interested, the brand I use is by a co called Peruvian Rainforest Botanicals, Inc. (nci) and it has an authenticity seal of some sort . I paid $26 for 16 oz (undiluted). Next time, I'm just gonna brew it myself by adding the herbs to Boo's herb mix esp since I already have 3 of the 4 ingredients for ET. Just noticed - looks like it has an additional herb, watercress. That's cool, cuz it's a diuretic which is good for everyone esp Booey.
Good to hear ET helped Ann's d*g so much. And Kathy has been using it for Kashmir too. Hope it helps poor brave Georgie-poo
Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats
Sandy A wrote:
<<As far as I know, Essiac Tea has no dangers or side-effects.
>>
Hi again,
A long long time ago, I tried Essiac tea for Rudy. It made him
sicker (vomitting and diarrhea) than he originally was. Scared me
silly.
Sandy--come on--post Booey's #'s!!!
Hi all
I've had my best success treating Kashmir's cancer with FlorEssence,
which is basically the same as Essiac (and no, don't wanna get into which
is the "real" tea, for those of you familiar with the controversy). I gave
it to Kashmir for somewhere around six weeks, two to three times a day.
Before that time my vet was urging me strenuously to give Kashmir chemo.
When her test results came back normal, we were both cautiously delighted.
There are tons of web pages devoted to Essiac and its counterparts,
though many of them seem devoted to discussing whether or not a particular
brand is effective, the "right" brand, the "original", etc. Personally,
(JMHO) I skip those sites altogether and just try to find the ones that
will give you actual info about the blends, instructions, uses, the benefits
of
each of the herbs, etc. The whole controversy thing, over whether or
not a particular brand is the original (and thus the only "true" kind)
or whether or not extra ingredients "adulterate" the blend, just makes
me angry to no end. Information and open discussion are one thing, but
it seems that this is one subject that invokes irrational / zealous / defensive
talk, and not
actual debate.
I hope you're not going through cancer with your kitty!!! What an awful,
horrible experience. If you are, and you want someone to talk to, let me
know. :(((
Take care
Kathy and the cats
kashmir@
Just a few for now....
http://www.awod.com/gallery/business/just_tea/ Look under "Information"
and "Things to Know"
http://www.remedies.net/ Commercial, but informative for background
http://www.healthy.net/hwlibrarybooks/options/essiac.htm Article
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac-2.html Article
http://hre.com/totalhealth/essiac.html About the herbs, a little info
http://www.remedies.net/essiac7.html Cats
http://www.remedies.net/Links.html Cancer Links
http://www.mothernature.com/essiac.htm Fair amount of info on the herbs, commercial
http://www.top.net/harouffd/essiac.html Recipes for the brew
Take care all
Kathy and the cats
Barbara:
Have you heard of Essiac tea? You might want to check out some
websites about Essiac - it seems to work miracles; however, it doesn't
work well w/ chemo. The following is an e-mail address to write to for
info or the web address (I can't seem to find it):
bestessiac@aol.com
Good luck! Our kitties are precious!
Judi & The MacFolds
Hi Susan
Essiac, I'm assuming, is offered in two forms: a ready-made liquid and a tea. The ready-made liquid is preserved by alcohol (wonderful preservant and transport for the medicine).
Usually, the alcohol in the liquid is no more than 15%, and it poses no problem to the person/being taking the medicine. The alcohol also helps transport the botanical into the bloodstream quickly for a faster medicinal effect.
What the woman at the store was probably getting at is that, if you want to evaporate the alcohol from the liquid, this is what you do: boil a cup of plain water, pour it into a container, and then pour the dose of essiac into the water and let it sit for two minutes or until it's cool enough to drink. DON'T boil the essiac because you can kill off some of the more volatile phytochemicals in the product.
wendy
mdalsin@
<<I offered to post this query to the list to see what you all think. Bonnie's cat Phillipe is FeLV+ and is symptomatic (lethargic & weak). Bonnie is trying to boost his appetite, energy before she tries something more drastic (i.e., prednisone). Susan
Quote:
I bought "Essiac Tonic" made by Herbs Etc.at the health food store
tonight. The woman in charge of that area of the store said, I think, because
it contains alcohol I ought heat it or boil it first and let it cool down.
This would to something to the alcohol so that it wouldn't affect a kitty
negatively. Does this sound right?
Bonnie, sleepless in Wisconsin...and it shows in my attention span..
Susan,
Regarding the Essiac. Originally it was formulated as a tea but then some companies got on the bandwagon(money bandwagon that is) and found that if they tinctured it, people would buy it.
The idea of putting the tincture into warm water to dissipate the alcohol, as our furry friends don't need the alcohol, is a good one. I also tell my recovering alcoholic clients to do the same with tinctures that have alcohol.
It is my understanding that it is the 'tea' action that works, along with combining the daily dosage with spring water (water that is alive) that facilitates the healing. The water added to the Essiac for each dose should be warmed, not boiled, and never heated in a microwave.
I make up the tea in smaller batches (Essiac is only good for 2 weeks after it is made up) and give it to my Missy who has Feline Aids. I am also treating her homeopathically and she is doing splendidly.
Just my 2 cents worth on Essiac.
Sandi
BlackKat Herbals
Hi all
>>Those of you who give or have given Essiac to your kits, how much do you give? In _The Encycl. of Natural Pet Care_ p. 303, Puotinen says 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight, but is that straight Essiac or Essiac diluted w/ equal parts water???>>
Susan, I gave more than that, I think. If I remember properly, it was 1 ounce *I think*. That was diluted.
<<Do I give this dose only on an empty stomach ( as I do for myself) or is it okay to put in the kit's food if she/he is *very* difficult to dose by syringe? >>
In the a.m. I mixed it with a teeny bit of food, or catnip, or whatever I thought she'd eat. In the afternoon I'd catch her while she was sleeping and wake her, and syringe her while she was still too groggy to protest.
<<And lastly, have any of you seen negative side effects (mild or otherwise)>>
Nope! It was the only medicine I've ever been able to give Kashmir where she didn't "get wise" to me. She took it with only mild protest. As for side effects, I didn't really see anything either way. I mean, I saw very subtle improvements, and I think she played more. That's about it. Does this help at all?
Take care
Kathy and the cats
Hey all --
<<Someone on another list has a cat who just got a diagnoses of fibrosarcoma with bone involvement on her cat. I've heard of Essiac tea, and I've heard of a tumor starving diet. Can anyone give me details on this to pass on to the person involved?>>
Debbie, here's the recipe for Essiac tea taken from "Nature's Gentle Cure" by Jude Williams, MH, ND:
Or, you can buy the tea premade at the health food store :)
From what I have heard about cancer starving diets, they're only for use on d*gs -- like Hill's has n/d available, but the nutritionist on Vetmed says to use a/d for cats w/ cancer. The gist of "cancer starving" diets is to reduce carbs and increase fats and protein. Here's a site that kinda condenses the literature on cancer, diet and supplements for d*gs: http://www.b-naturals.com/lews/sum98.htm
FWIW, I have kinda "decided" that if one of the cats hasta face cancer, my approach will be surgical removal of the tumor and a clean margin (if applicable), immediate essiac therapy, tweaked w/ other appropriate herbs, and a diet based on raw organic meat. To me, this seems to encompass the highlights of what I have learned about holistic tx of cancer....
Hope this helps
Vick and the kitty company: Skippy, Sam, Max and Jezebel
Hi Tamar -
I'm relatively new here myself and mostly lurk and learn . . . My cat Megan (17 next month!) had a mammary tumor removed in late September but has some metastasis in her lungs already by then. Chemo was not an option. I began using essiac -- twice a day by dropper. My holistic vet suggested 1 cc, another user of it suggested 1/2 dropper which is about the same. Sometimes I have to force the dropper and other times she gets a taste and licks the dropper with apparent delight. Oh, and the essiac is always on an empty stomach. We also use an herbal immune tonic which the vet makes up -- I wish I could tell you what's in it but I don't know. I want to try IP6 which I hear is good for cancer but need to wait for non-cancer-related digestive troubles to resolve (parasites from the new kitten but that's another story.)
Megan's second chest x-ray was done in January and there had been no progression whatsoever in the cancer and she seems to feel great and looks and moves better than she has in a long, long time. I don't really know how much the essiac is responsible for this but it clearly is doing no harm!
I also give her Dr. Goodpet's geriatric vitamins, Nu-Ark Granular Greens and Dr. Goodpet's digestive enzymes. I wish I could say I feed raw but I don't -- they eat PetGuard canned.
Hope that helps.
susan d
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1999 12:13:27 EST
Hi Susan,
you stated that:
CJ Puotinen notes that those w/ kidney ailments or arthritis should
not use Essiac because the tea contains oxalic acid (Encyc. of Nat Pet
Care, 303). Page 302 states that the ingrediants in the original formula
uses sheep sorrel(a blood tonic beneficial for kidney disorders), burdock
root( a kidney cleanser) etc. The blurb on page 303 only says that
"medical herbalists suggest it not be used by those w/kidney ailments"
but the rest of page touts its cleansing qualities.
I only bring this up because it scared the POO out of me to read that it woud be harmful to kidney kitties and I am using w/ my early CRF cat. Our main focus of treatment are the internal mast cell tumors of course, but the kidneys are a great concern. I wish Puotinan had use the NAMES of the opposed herbalists!
We use the tincture form and give 1/2 the LARGE dropperful 2X days (teatime!) We noticed a marked improvement after he began the tea 9 months ago. By the way-our beloved Cyrus was only given 8 months(at the very most) of a lingering no quality existence almost 1 year ago!!!! He's snoozing now after checking out his yard and batting around his underlings. Of course we give other supplements, but I truly believe that Essiac is one of the most important......!!!!!
Phyllida and her adored Cyrus
Here are the web site addresses for the Essiac tea and colostrum:
Essiac tea: http://www.remedies.net/herbs.htm
colostrum: http://www.willardswater.com/colostrum.html
hope you find something helpful here,
Kathy B
Hi Lorna,
I'm so sorry to hear about poor Melba's horrid night :( CJ Puotinen lists 1 tsp of Essiac per 10 lbs of body as the appropriate dosage for treating cancer, so I would maybe cut back a bit. I've never used Pau D'arco for my kits, but Celeste Yarnall lists it as one of the herbs she uses in a mixture for kits "For blood purifying, cleansing...or cancer" I think what Emily was saying is not to overdo it. I don't know enough about this herb to comment further, but I believe Elaine has mentioned several times that she used pau d'arco for one of her kitties w/ cancer.
I'm sending many healing vibes Melba's way.
Take care, Susan
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