Once you’ve purchased the dry essiac herbs, it’s time to brew! If you’re not quite ready to brew essiac tea yourself, visit our list of vendors HERE to pick up some premade ready-to-drink essiac tea!
We’ve hunted down every piece of information out there on brewing essiac tea so you don’t have to. Check out the resources below for a collection of links, pdf’s and videos to help you on your first brew!
How to Make Essiac Tea – by Just Tea, LLC
Since 1994 Just Tea has made the original Rene Caisse 4 herb blend of Essiac tea, which includes sheep sorrel roots. Check out our brewing instructions below or download a copy to print.
Step 1: Gather Supplies
- 1 – 3.8 oz Dry Essiac Tea Herb Mix from Just Tea
- 4.5 Quarts (4.25 Liters) distilled or purified (unchlorinated) water
- Stainless steel, Glass, or Enameled Pot with lid (big enough to hold 5 quarts)
- 4 – 1 Quart glass canning jars (amber or clear works)
- Cheesecloth bag or stainless steel strainer
- Stainless steel thermometer
- Optional: canning funnel, canning jar lifter, glass measuring cup
Do not use any aluminum or Teflon utensils
Step 2: Begin the Brew
- Add 4.5 (4.25 Liters) of distilled or purified (unchlorinated) water to your pot.
- Cover the pot and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add your 3.8 oz Dry Essiac Tea Herb Mix from Just Tea to your Cheesecloth bag (tie the end up) or
- Add the entire contents of the tea packet directly into the water. (we recommend a stainless steel strainer if you use this method)
- Boil for 12-15 minutes then turn off the heat. If you’ve placed the herbs directly into the post, scrape them from the sides of the pot so all the herbs are in the water.
- Keep the pot covered on your stove (off the heat), undisturbed for 10-12 hours. *no longer than 18 hours if you accidentally forget – although your tea may be more sour in taste
Step 3: Finish & Can
- Remove the herbs (if you have a Cheesecloth bag) and squeeze the water back into the pot. The gooey stuff is slippery elm bark and it’s good. If you added the herbs directly wait to strain until you add the tea to your jars.
- Reheat the tea to 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit (79-82 degrees Celsius).
- Sterilize your utensils, jars and lids at this time (boil jars for at least 10 minutes).
- Divide the tea into your 4 quart jars. Allow them to cool to room temperature.
If this process is done correctly, the canned tea is good for 6 months if kept in a cool, dark place. If you are unsure about any part of the process, how sterile utensils or jars are, refrigerate the jars. Better safe than sorry! Once opened, refrigerate the tea. It is good for up to 4 weeks opened.
How to make the Rene Caisse Formula – by Mary McPherson
Rene Caisse’s assistant, Mary McPherson provides a video on how she made essiac tea. Watch the following video or read the instructions she provides below.
In a large *jar, add: 1lb sheep sorrel, 6.5 cups burdock root, 1/4 lb slippery elm, and 1oz (by weight) turkey rhubarb. Roll the jar over the course of a couple of days until the mixture is all one color.
Heat 32oz (1 Liter) of spring water. Add 1oz (note: the formula is fluid ounces, which ends up being 4 fluid ounces, which is 28 grams) of the herb mixture to the pot. Hard boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, scrape any herb residue from the lid or sides of the pot back into the water. Steep all night, minimum of 10 hours. (10-12 hours is best, no longer than 18 hours though). Leave the pot on the original coil it heated up on.
Bring your oven up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your amber jars into a shallow baking pan, then add water to the pan and the jars. Heat in the oven at least 10 minutes.
Without shaking or stirring the pot, begin slowly pouring the tea into another pot without stopping, leaving only a small amount of water and sediment behind. Add the tea from the second pot into the hot, sterilized **jars. Rub the caps down with alcohol to sterilize.
Pour the remaining tea and sediment into a colander to catch the remaining liquid, then add the remaining liquid to your jars. Take 1oz of the tea with 1oz of hot water. Store the tea in a cool, dark place.
Notes from Just Tea:
*There is such a small amount of turkey rhubarb and slippery elm compared to sheep sorrel and burdock root in such a large jar. We recommend you either measure out your individual herbs per brew to ensure accurate percentages of each herb in every brew you make or make a large batch of tea. Or you can purchase the herbs from one of a few vendors that do this already for you, such as Just Tea, which measure out the herb mix individually per packet. Here’s an explanation of why we believe it’s important to ensure the percentages are correct in EACH BATCH HERE. We also feel it’s important for you to see each of the 4 herbs you’re purchasing, so we provide all 4 of them cut and sifted for proper review before brewing. This also allows you to use a cheesecloth bag or stainless steel tea ball to brew, making the process much less messy.
**Keep in mind while the jars and lids are sterilized in this video, it does not mention bringing the tea back up to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit before pouring into sterilized jars. We highly recommend this practice as it kills off any potential bacterial that may have come in contact with the tea during the 10-12 hour steep. For more information, visit our video section on this page, Making Essiac Tea – Just Tea, LLC.
Making Essiac Tea with Mali Klein – Part 1
Author of several books with writing partner, Sheila Snow, Mali Klein provides a detailed, 2 part video into making Essiac Tea. Visit both videos below or read the video transcript below.
Notes from Just Tea on Mali Klein – Making Essiac Tea, part 1:
*There is such a small amount of turkey rhubarb and slippery elm compared to sheep sorrel and burdock root in such a large jar. We recommend you either measure out your individual herbs per brew to ensure accurate percentages of each herb in every brew you make or make a large batch of tea. Or you can purchase the herbs from one of a few vendors that do this already for you, such as Just Tea, which measure out the herb mix individually per packet. Here’s an explanation of why we believe it’s important to ensure the percentages are correct in EACH BATCH HERE. We also feel it’s important for you to see each of the 4 herbs you’re purchasing, so we provide all 4 of them cut and sifted for proper review before brewing. This also allows you to use a cheesecloth bag or stainless steel tea ball to brew, making the process much less messy.
Making Essiac Tea with Mali Klein – Part 2
Author of several books with writing partner, Sheila Snow, Mali Klein provides a detailed, 2 part video into making Essiac Tea. Visit both videos below or read the video transcription below.
How to Make Essiac Tea – HealthfreedomInfo
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