Organ transplant recipients:
If you or the person you are wanting to use Essiac for is an organ transplant recipient, you should use caution when adding Essiac to the regimen. Essiac increases the immune system’s response and could interfere with any immunosuppressive drugs the patient is on to keep the immune system suppressed so that the recipient’s body does not reject the transplant. Please consult with a physician before taking Essiac.
For those taking any immunosuppressant drugs:
Immunosuppressant drugs suppress the immune system while Essiac supports and builds the immune system. They are not compatible and can cancel each other out. Caution is advised. These should not be confused with the term, immunotherapy, which are medications meant to help the immune system find and fight diseases. Essiac is compatible with immunotherapy, while not with immunosuppressants.
Low kidney function:
If your body cannot process water correctly, then you will have to watch the extra liquids. Our recommendation is not to take Essiac if your kidney function is below 20%.
An Essiac tea users group member reported… “I have only one kidney due to cancer of the ureter and bladder cancer. If my kidney function goes down due to drugs or infection I heal my kidney every time by water fasting for minimum two days taking only purified water organic nettle tea and a lot of organic dandelion root tea with added fresh lemon and lots of water and voila my kidney function comes up a treat. I never stop taking Essiac during the fasting time. Hope this helps. At various times I fast longer depending on how bad my kidney is!” Please consult with a physician before taking Essiac.
Kidney stones:
In Pubmed, there isn’t an actual case study of Essiac being connected to bladder or kidney stones. Only some of the individual herbs. Even then, according to the studies they fed rats half their body weight in the individual herbs before they had stones develop. That means a 150lb individual would have to consume 75lbs of an indivisible herb to mimic the same results.
Long story short, many Essiac tea makers put warnings out, not because Essiac is of concern, but that individual herbs in Essiac can cause issues. The liability is huge when someone grossly misuses Essiac. The herbs in Essiac balance each other out to make for a safe medicine if used in the regularly accepted way.
For individuals with existing gallbladder or kidney stones.. extra care would be advised. If you want to help yourself out the natural way, we would suggest taking one tablespoon of ACV in a glass of water 2x a day. That will help to soften stones and allow them to pass. Eat an apple or two every day as well. Pectin dissolves stones. Above all else, drink plenty of water. Please consult with a physician before taking Essiac.
Statins:
Caution is advised if you are taking Essiac simultaneous with a statin. Essiac could affect the liver’s ability to process the statin drug thereby making the statin’s effect last longer and be much stronger. This could cause more severe statin side effects than normally expected. That said we have many individuals who take Essiac alongside their statins with no issues.
Polycythemia Vera:
Caution is advised for those with PV as Essiac contains some iron content. Users have found that they are able to use small doses of Essiac just fine but can experience high iron with larger Essiac doses.
Pregnancy:
Some caution should be used if you are pregnant and have any complications such as an autoimmune disease. In that case, an abortion could be caused by boosting the immune system during the pregnancy. This issue would only affect a very small percentage of women. Otherwise Essiac should be fine for pregnant women with healthy pregnancies. If your doctor is concerned about premature labor I would also advise slowing or stopping Essiac.
Breastfeeding:
Essiac does no harm to the baby or to the mom nor does it stop the milk production either. Many report of their milk production going up while on Essiac. You should stick to standard dosage and not go over.
For those taking chemotherapy:
From a RN working in oncology 30+ years: “ I use all the chemo on the market in the course of a day usually. I can’t tell the patients at work about any alternative treatments of course, but on my own time, I have researched each chemo drug plus all the AI’s. I have not found any contraindications that the tea will interfere with. In my own group, I advise taking the tea with the chemo, just like any other day. Everyone who drinks it has told me the side effects are MUCH less than when they were just doing chemo. Even people with the MTHFR gene mutation, that have blocked pathways (40%), are noticing the difference.
Brain cancer, spinal chord and major arteries:
If you have a brain tumor caution should be taken. If the tumor is the primary one it is possible the Essiac mechanism may occur, which is a drawing of cancer cells back to the primary site before being expelled through the natural detox pathways. Occasionally individuals report of slight enlarging of the tumor before the process of elimination is completed, understandably causing concern for tumor sites like the brain, spinal chord and near major arteries.
Our recommendation on these locations is to take Essiac as a titrating dosage, meaning to start off with 1/4 of a dose once daily and increasing incrementally while watching for signs of the Essiac mechanism. The key is to allow the body to expel the cancer cells but not to increase tumor size to the detriment of the individual. Please consult with a physician before taking Essiac.
Medical Disclaimer:
This page is not designed to, and does not, provide medical advice. All content, including text, graphics, images and information available on or through this page, are for general informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You take full legal responsibility for whatever decisions you make regarding your own health care. This material is offered solely for educational purposes. The suggestion is that you think clearly for yourself and make your own decisions, with the input of a licensed health professional should you choose to consult one.
Want to receive all the newest posts? Sign up for our newsletter.
Essiac Library 