Are Essiac capsules, tinctures or extracts as effective as Essiac tea?

Capsules

Capsules claiming to be Essiac are ineffective for several notable reasons.

1. Capsules bypass the normal digestion process, which starts in the mouth. Unlike tinctures, extracts or Essiac tea, capsules completely bypass a crucial component of the digestion process, our salivary glands in the mouth which allows medicinal properties to enter the bloodstream quickly, specifically sublingually, or under the tongue.
2. Root herbs require a pulling of medicinal properties to make them bioavailable to the body. Root herbs, such as burdock root, turkey rhubarb root and sheep sorrel root all need an extraction method in order for the efficacy of their medicinal properties to be fully available when we take them. Same with the inner bark of slippery elm. Capsules are ground up versions of the herbs with no extractions completed. This makes it difficult for our bodies to process the properties easily.

Tinctures

Tinctures are made with alcohol, such as vodka or ever clear, to extract properties from herbs, roots or bark. You typically see a 1:4 herb to solvent ratio in tinctures, making their counterpart, extracts, generally more potent. Tinctures are taken sublingually, meaning held under the tongue for absorption into the bloodstream. All tinctures are extracts, but not all extracts are tinctures. Clear as mud? Hopefully we’ll clear up some confusion between the two while we’re explaining things.

1. Ease of personal production and use: Tinctures take anywhere from 6 weeks to about 2 months to extract properties. You can immediately see why this would be a problem for converting the original formula to something feasible for personal production and use, especially as Rene Caisse made it for a large number of patients she provided the tea to daily. Also, unless you have equipment to distill your own vodka, creating a tincture is expensive to make with alcohol.
2. Alcohol and disease: Long-term use of substances such as alcohol are terrible for your body, especially so if you’re fighting cancer or another major health problem.
3. Disruption of medicinal properties of delicate herbs: The problem with using a tincture, which again is used with a high-proof alcohol, is delicate plants structures are damaged more easily during this process, affecting the chemical makeup of the tincture itself. When you make tinctures, you typically wouldn’t use ever clear unless you are extracting a root or bark, so something like the sheep sorrel aerial portion isn’t ideal in a tincture.

Extracts

Extracts are also known as fluid extracts or liquid extracts. Unlike tinctures, extracts use vinegar, glycerin, water, wine, honey or maple syrup to extra properties from herbs, roots or bark. Sediment is common and instructions often come with a direction to shake before dosing. You typically use a 1:1 ratio of herbs to solvent, making extracts more potent than tinctures. You dehydrate herbs first before adding them to solvents. While all tinctures are extracts, not all extracts are tinctures because of the solvent usage. Side note: if you decide to use tinctures or extracts it’s important to know the ratio of herbs to solvent as it plays an important role in dosing and concentration of the product.

1. Ease of personal production and use: Extracts take about 2 months to extract properties of herbs. While extracts typically do not contain alcohol such as tinctures do, it’s important to note that Rene Caisse was specific about not adding preservatives and other additives in the tea.
2. The synergistic nature of Essiac tea is not present: There is not heat involved with the process of extracts and so you are not pulling the medicinal properties from root herbs as you would in the traditional way of making Essiac Tea.

Essiac Tea

Vendors claiming to have products labeled Essiac capsules, tinctures or extracts are being dishonest. The original 8 herb blend Rene Caisse received from a patient was made as a tea. Essiac tea is often called a decoction, which is a fancy way of describing the method of bringing herbs up to a slow, rolling boil. The issue I have with calling Essiac simply a decoction however is that after the 10-15 minute boil the herbs are then steeped for 10-12 hours, which is known as an overnight infusion. Whatever you choose to categorize Essiac tea as, there are some compelling reasons you should select Essiac tea over capsules, tinctures or extracts.

1. The original 8 herb blend of Essiac was a tea. [1]”The old native medicine man, who was the originator of the formula, boiled and steeped the herbs, Rene did the same.”
2. Efficacy is everything. The tea has 10-12 hours of steep time, so water soluble properties of the root herbs are able to be pulled out of the herbs. This absolutely affects efficacy, or the potency of the tea. [2] “Hot or boiling water will swell plant tissues and burst the cells of the herbs. By dissolving the starches and breaking down elements by disintegration, hot water temperatures can extract more of the precious vegetable tissues. The first action to occur in the hot infusion is to break down sugars, gums, plant acids, mineral salts, and coloring matter. The next stage of this hot herbal infusion with new properties is to become a stronger solvent. Interestingly, as more dissolve from the herbs, the menstruum continues to be stronger in breaking down plant material. This is where more difficult elements such as tannins, lactones, and iridoids can now be extracted in water. Hot infusion evolves as it extracts.”
3. Takes the least amount of time to make with the best results. While I understand steeping the tea for 10-12 hours is not considered convenient, it is when compared with 6 weeks to 2 months for a tincture or extract. Making a full month’s worth of tea takes a little planning to ensure you have enough jars and a pot big enough to make the tea in, but it’s much less cumbersome than the timeframe of other methods.
4. Rene Caisse said so: Ever ask your parents why something was happening only to receive the answer, “because I said so”? Rene Caisse worked with Essiac as a tea from 1924 until she passed in 1978, 54 years. She started with 8 herbs and researched and studied each until she used the 4 herb version we use today successfully on thousands of patients in her lifetime. Check out the Essiac Archives for some of her patient stories. She is quoted with saying, [1]”if it works, don’t change it.”
5. Looking for Quality Essiac? Check out a list of vendors who carry the 4 herb Essiac tea WITH sheep sorrel roots HERE.

References

1. Essiac Essentials, Sheila Snow pg. 84
2. theherbalacademy.com, A Deeper Look Into Herbal Infusions 7/30/2014

*Information and statements about the product and on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You should not use the information herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or for prescribing any medication. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.