Essiac Essentials

chopped into chunks the size of small peas (i.e. petits pois) Always question any mix claiming to be Essiac that doesn’t comply with this , (see Burdock p.21)
     
    GETTING READY
     
    Have all the equipment and ingredients to hand before you begin.
     
    Utensils check list :
    You will need one each of the following:
     
    • Large cooking pot made from either unchipped enamel (UK), granite (USA/Canada), heatproof glass, or, failing all else, a stainless steel pot with a well-fitting lid. (We prefer to use enamel/granite).
    • Stainless steel sieve
    • Large heat-proof glass measuring jug.
    • Stainless steel spoon for stirring.
    • Measuring jug or cup indicating fluid ounces and millilitres.
    • Glass containers for storing the tea — i.e. bottles with screw-top lids or preserving jars with new rubber seals.
    • Accurate metric weighing scales.
    • Enamel/stainless steel funnel (to prevent spillage when bottling the tea).
     
    It is preferable, but not imperative, to keep one pan exclusively for making Essiac. Certainly when you are starting to make it, use whatever you have available at the time — but not an aluminium pan, as the metal may be leached into the liquid during the making. It is true that Rene used an aluminium pot when she first started making Essiac, before she became aware of the adverse effects of aluminium — she switched to an enamel pan in the 1970s.
    The water you use for making Essiac tea should be as pure as possible. Do not use tap water. Buy bottled, fluoride-free water with the lowest sodium content available, or use still spring water. Some people prefer distilled water.
    There are still places on this planet where the water can be considered pure. Iceland is one of them. The tap water in Europe, Canada and the United States is subject to chlorination and sometimes to fluoridation which cannot be wholly removed by filtering.
    Initially Rene used the local tap water to make the formula but, by the early 1970s, she was using water from a spring north of Bracebridge.
    There are those who maintain that only pure spring water, as a living entity, can truly assimilate the potency of the herbs. We do not argue with this but we must point out that the water and the herbs have to be boiled together as a decoction for ten minutes and then reheated twelve hours later. Is living water still living after ten minutes at boiling point?
    Europe relies on bottled spring water, whereas distilled water is readily available in Canada and the United States. This is claimed to be pure — i.e. free from chemicals, pollutants, poisons and minerals. Some people ‘re-energise and re-oxygenate’ distilled water by shaking it well and/or setting it in the sun for a few hours before using it.
     
    Sterilise all equipment used during preparation.
    Treat the bottles/containers you use as though you were making jam or bottling fruit, not making wine.
    There are several methods of sterilisation, including:
    • heating in the oven
    • steaming in the oven
    • using a steam steriliser
    • immersing in a large pot of boiling water on the stove (though this method is not advised for elderly or frail people who might have problems lifting heavy pots)
     
    It is also possible to sterilise the bottles and lids using a chemical preparation sold for sterilising baby bottles. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions, rinsing thoroughly afterwards in freshly boiled water to remove all traces of the sterilising fluid before bottling the decoction
    Do not use wine-making sterilising fluid, bleach or sodium metabisulphite for sterilising . These chemicals are very harsh and may alter the taste and content of the tea.
     
    MEASURES
     
    Liquids:
    US/Canada
    1 pint = 16 fluid ounces = 470ml
    1 American or Canadian cup = 8 fluid ounces = 235ml
    1 gallon = 3.785 litres
    1 tablespoon = ½ fluid ounce
     
    Imperial/Metric
    1 pint = 20 fluid ounces = 570ml
    1 gallon = 4.545 litres
    1 tablespoon = ½ fluid ounce
    1 teaspoon = ⅛ fluid ounce
     
    The US/Canada weight measurements in pounds and ounces are, for all practical purposes, identical to those used in the UK
    US/Canada/Imperial/Metric
    1oz = 28.35g
    16ozs = 1 pound = 455g
     
    The Original Rene Caisse Herbal Recipe Bulk Recipe
     
    Rene Caisse’s recipe, as confirmed by Mary McPherson, contained the following ingredients for a bulk supply of the basic dry herbal mix:
     
    US/Canada /Imperial/Metric
    6.5 US cups/24ozs/680g Burdock root — chopped to the