Herbal Therapies for Cancer
Fighting Cancer and Staying Healthy

Herbal Therapies for Cancer
by Ron Kennedy, M.D., Santa Rosa, CA

Herbal therapies have been around for thousands of years and were widely prescribed by doctors until the late 1800s when the American Medical Association (AMA), a trade union of doctors committed to partnership with the budding pharmaceutical industry, used its economic and political muscle to suppress the use of natural substances. The use of herbs once was mainstream medicine but, because there is no great profit to be made from these unpatentable wonder drugs, they have lost their status as mainstream therapies.

Nevertheless, although the AMA, NCI (National Cancer Institute) and ACS (American Cancer Society) would prefer that you not know, several herbs produce patentable derivatives which are mainstays in the orthodox treatment of cancer. These herbs are "messed with," biochemically speaking, to produce unique, semi-synthetic compounds which retain some of the activity of the original herb and yet are patentable. Examples are vincristine, vinblastine and eteoposide. Taxol, a new experimental drug for cancer, is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree.

The fear of the cancer establishment is, of course, that people themselves would be able to treat their own cancer at least as well as the approved therapies for a tiny fraction of the cost, simply by finding the proper herb and preparing a tea or by eating the plant. For this reason millions of dollars are poured into the creation of synthetics and into the advertising necessary to convince people that laboratories can improve over nature.

We will focus on only a few herbal therapies, because it is not possible in the confines of this website to cover all the herbal treatments which may be effective in cancer. Besides that, only two percent of the herbs in nature have been tested as possible cancer therapies. It is certain that many effective herbs still lie undiscovered.

Essiac Tea

In 1922 Rene Caisse (pronounced as one would pronounce the words "Rin Case"), a nurse in Ontario, Canada, noticed an elderly hospital patient with a scarred and gnarled breast. When Rene Caisse asked about the scarring, she was told that twenty years earlier the woman had her breast cancer healed by an Indian medicine man using an herbal tea. This woman had been told by doctors that her breast must be removed. She refused this advice and decided to take her chances with the herbal tea. This woman handed over the information on this herbal remedy to Rene Caisse.

Rene Caisse put the formula aside, deciding that if she ever developed cancer she would use it. Two years later, one of her aunts developed stomach cancer and was told she had six months to live. Caisse remembered the herbal formula and, in partnership with her aunt's doctor, Dr. R. O. Fisher of Toronto, gave the herbal tea to her aunt. She recovered after two months and lived free from her stomach cancer for 21 years after that. Following this event, Caisse and Fisher began to treat terminal cases of cancer, curing many of them.

Not knowing what to call the stuff Rene Caisse spelled her own last name backward and came up with "Essiac." It seemed as good a name as any, so this is how it has come to be known. Rene Caisse, beginning in the 1920s until her death in 1978, offered this tea to thousands of people, many of whom were restored to health and many whose lives were prolonged and whose pain was lessened.

By 1937, the fame of Essiac had spread to the U.S. and Caisse was commuting to Chicago to treat patients at Northwestern Medical Center. After a two year evaluation the doctors at Northwestern concluded that Essiac tea eased the pain of cancer and prolonged life.

As with all such discoveries, Rene Caisse was forced to battle the medical establishment. This resulted in the formation, in 1938, of the Canadian "Royal Cancer Commission." Showing up to testify for Essiac were 387 of Caisse's patients. Of these, only 49 were allowed to testify. People who free of tumor after using Essiac after the failure of orthodox treatment were interpreted by the Royal Cancer Commission as "recoveries from orthodox therapies." In cases with no previous therapies, the interpretation was "misdiagnosis."

Rene Caisse, after years of harassment, and fearing imprisonment for her work, closed her clinic in 1942. Over the next thirty years she treated patients in great secrecy from her home, even while under surveillance by the Canadian Health Department, I suppose the "Royal" one.

As with most cancer treatments, orthodox, as well as progressive, some people respond and some do not. Undoubtedly, some people have been made free of tumor with Essiac, and others have died from their disease. As I read the literature on Essiac, it appears that its main use is to cause regression of tumor size and to reduce the pain induced by the tumor. It is thus an excellent adjunct to other therapies. If I had cancer I would choose several progressive therapies and not rely on just one. Essiac would be one of them.

Caisse sold the formula to the Resperin Corporation in late 1977 and died at age ninety just over one year later. It is still possible to obtain Essiac. You can buy Essiac Tea at well-stocked organic groceries. Essiac is, after all, a blend of herbal teas — not so easy for a government to regulate, although the government of Canada gives it a good try. They forbid the makers of Essiac to use the word "cure," so they simply distribute patient testimonials.

Fighting Cancer and Staying Healthy

There are large amounts of cancer articles that cover specific treatments for certain types of cancer, but not as many about simply staying healthy while fighting cancer. If you have cancer, special care must be taken to ensure your health because your immune system is very sensitive.

You will feel much better when you lead a healthy life style even if you do not have cancer. Living a healthy life style, will reduce the amount disease and illness you suffer from, and if you are currently sick the following seven steps will improve your chances of recovery.

1. Consume a healthy and nutritious diet. Try to take in nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
2. Drink lots of water. Make a goal to drink at least 64 oz. of fresh spring or distilled water per day, or half of your body in pounds in ounces, which ever one is larger.
3. Get the right amount of sleep. You should be able to wake up naturally, without the presence of an alarm clock.
4. Get the proper amount of exercise. Both strength training and cardiovascular exercise provides benefits. Try to exercise at least 3 times a week, however not much more than an hour at a time.
5. Avoid putting unnecessary chemicals into your body. This includes both prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, additives and preservatives, artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. The more natural the better! Herbal remedies are better than drugs.
6. Supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients can help. A general multivitamin is a good bet for most people. Fish oils are good for the immune system, which are very helpful if you have cancer.
7. From time to time, use a detoxification regimen. Essiac tea, herbal colon cleanse formulas and dandelion greens brewed and cooled in juice, can all be used as a detoxification of the liver, kidneys and colon.

Patients and families often feel helpless and out of control when cancer strikes. But there are steps you can take to nourish your body and spirit during this physically and emotionally stressful time. Click here for Tips on Keeping A Healthy Body And Spirit When Fighting Cancer.

A national survey of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy has drawn attention to a side effect that is often disregarded--fatigue. Over three fourths of survey respondents suffered from cancer fatigue and 89% said it interferes with their daily lives. Sixty percent said fatigue had a greater impact on their lives than did side effects such as nausea, depression, and pain. Proper nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplementation, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, exercise, and even psychological counseling can treat cancer related fatigue.

Disclaimer: Some products or items we offer are not FDA tested or approved. We do not endorse anything on this site as medical fact. Seller bears no responsibility for adverse reactions, medical or otherwise, as a result of use. Excellent results are typical, but may vary between individuals.