Essiac Tea and the Budwig Diet

Essiac tea is considered compatible with the Budwig Diet, although it is not part of Dr Johanna Budwig’s original protocol and should not be regarded as an alternative to it.

A Traditional Herbal Tea

Essiac tea is a herbal infusion developed by the Canadian nurse René Caisse for use with people suffering from cancer. She said she was given the original recipe during the 1920s by an Ontario Ojibwa medicine man. The traditional formula contains burdock root, sheep sorrel leaves, slippery elm bark and Indian rhubarb root, and it continues to be used today.

The name Essiac is simply Caisse spelled backwards.

A small glass of the infusion is traditionally taken twice a day before meals. Although it is not an official part of the Budwig Diet, many people regard it as compatible because it is simply a herbal tea.

A Herbal Tea

Essiac tea can be consumed as one of the herbal teas recommended on the Budwig Diet. However, it is not a substitute for green tea, which Dr Johanna Budwig specifically recommended as part of her original protocol.

Essiac tea is compatible with the Budwig Diet, but it is an addition to the diet rather than an alternative to any of its essential foods or drinks.

Taste

Essiac tea is mild and generally quite easy to drink. It has a bland herbal flavour, sometimes described as being rather like weak Ovaltine.

The usual 1–2 oz serving can be diluted with water if preferred.

Essiac is also available as capsules, and concentrated liquid extract, Only the tea is in line with Johanna Budwig’s recommendations.