Essiac Essentials

size of small peas
    16ozs/453g Sheep sorrel — powdered
    4ozs/113g Slippery elm — powdered
    1oz/28.35 Turkey rhubarb root — powdered
     
    However, for convenience, we recommend the following recipe which is sufficient to supply one person taking one fluid ounce/ 30ml of Essiac a day for a minimum of one year. It is not advisable to use herbs that are over a year old — please discard any remaining herbs from the previous year once the new harvest is available. This ensures maximum potency and is, of course, especially important when using herbs therapeutically, as in Essiac.
     
    One Year's Supply, allowing for some Natural Wastage
     
    US/Canada/Imperial/Metric
    4.25ozs/120g Burdock root — chopped to the size of small peas
    2.8ozs/80g Sheep sorrel — powdered
    0.7ozs/20g Slippery elm bark — powdered
    0.18ozs/5g Turkey rhubarb root — powdered
     
    Total: 7.9ozs/225g dry herb mix
     
    Preparing the Dried Herbs:
    Mix the powdered Sheep sorrel, Slippery elm bark and Turkey rhubarb root together very thoroughly before stirring in the chopped Burdock root. This ensures that the Slippery elm bark and the Turkey rhubarb root are well distributed throughout the mixture. Place, well wrapped in a clean, brown paper bag, in a screwtop jar. Store in a cool, dark, dry place until ready to use.
     
    To Make Approximately One Month's Supply of Essiac
     
    Method:
    Use the following proportions:
    UK/Canada
    (if using a measuring cup)
    2 fluid ounces (volume) dry herb mix to 64 fluid ounces water.
     
    Imperial/ Metric
    0.5oz/15g dry herb mix to 2.75 pints/1.5 litres water.
     
    First stage
    • Stir the basic herb mix in its storage container to ensure even distribution before measuring what you need into a small bowl. Immediately replace the jar of basic mix in a cool, dark storage space. Herbs deteriorate if left out in warm, bright kitchens.
    • Heat the water in the pan to boiling point.
    • Stir in the dry herbal ingredients.
    • Reduce heat, replace the lid on the pan and maintain at a rolling boil (i.e. fast simmer) for another 10 minutes.
    • Turn off the heat.
    • Stir the mixture thoroughly with a clean spoon that has been rinsed in boiling water, scraping down any herbs on the side of the pot into the liquid.
    • Cover and allow to cool gradually.
    • Leave the Essiac decoction to steep with the lid on undisturbed for a minimum of ten to twelve hours — overnight is fine.
     
    Note : It is important not to disturb the decoction during steeping time. Every time you take off the lid, you are exposing the liquid to airborne bacteria. Similarly, please don’t put either your fingers or an unsterilised spoon into it to taste it.
     
    Second stage
    • Sterilise all the remaining utensils, including the lids and the seals for the bottles.
    • Reheat mixture to steaming hot to ensure that only hot liquid will be poured into the hot bottles. DO NOT REBOIL.
    • Allow the herbs to settle for a few minutes before straining the tea through a fine, stainless steel strainer into the measuring jug. Pour into the bottles using a funnel.
     
    Note: Some sediment at the bottom of the bottles is quite usual.
     
    • Seal the bottles carefully to produce an airtight seal.

    Rene stirring the pot of Essiac herbs
     
    • Chill quickly by carefully standing the sealed bottles in bowls of cool water. Avoid extremes in temperature as very hot glass is likely to crack when immersed in very cold water.
     
    • After re-tightening the caps, store immediately in the refrigerator.
     
    Essiac contains no preservatives. We advise that the bottled decoction is best stored in the refrigerator. Though properly sealed preserving jars will keep Essiac well in a cool, dark cupboard, all other bottles — in particular, those opened for use — must be kept in the refrigerator.
     
     
    Dos and Don'ts
     
    Don’t microwave the tea at any time.
    There are no short cuts to making Essiac and the microwave can never be considered as an option. All of its remedial value will be completely destroyed if it is microwaved.
     
    You don’t have to use dark coloured storage bottles/jars.
    You can use clear glass preserving jars as you would when bottling fruit or any small jars that have sterilisable screw-top lids. When storing a quantity of bottles in an unrefrigerated cupboard, it is important to ensure that whatever container you use has an airtight seal that you can test. Store in a cool, dark place, ideally where the temperature never