Essiac Essentials

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    Harvesting from the wild demands a great deal of care and sensitivity as to the needs of the environment and other people’s requirements. Only pick exactly what you need and take every precaution to ensure that the plant is left in a state sufficient to sustain its natural life cycle. Wild crafted herbs should be gathered from areas free from large numbers of people and dogs and as far as possible from roads, factories and regularly farmed arable land where they are likely to have been sprayed with pesticides and herbicides.
    Herbs that are grown specifically for Essiac must be organically grown, i.e. planted in unpolluted soil that has not been, and will not be, treated with any form of chemical fertiliser or weed killer. Pollution is defined as contamination by herbicides, chemical waste, vehicle exhaust pollution, domestic animal pollution and/or artificial fertilisation programmes.
    Remember that every variation in climate and location may demand improvisation on the basic theme. Good husbandry and good practice ensure a continual sensitivity to the volatile nature of the beneficial aspects of the herbs.
     
    SHEEP SORREL
    As there has been some doubt about the quality and validity of supply, you may decide to grow your own Sheep sorrel. Given rain and sunshine in good measure throughout the growing season, it is possible to take at least two, often three, cuttings from each plant from May to September. This will vary according to country, climate and locality.
    In south-east England during a warm, dry summer on light soil, it is possible to harvest from mid-May to the end of August. Most of the plants are cut just prior to flowering but we ensure that some flowers and seeds are included in the overall gathering. Rene Caisse advocated using the whole herb and, to that end, in addition to the summer crop, a root harvest can be taken at the end of the year (November to December) using the opportunity to thin the plants in preparation for the spring growth the following year. Good husbandry is the key to growing and maintaining Sheep sorrel. As you can see from Growing Trial One on page 118, a small plot of one metre/39 inches square in the garden can provide enough Sheep sorrel for a minimum of five people for a year to fifteen months.
    Scale down the growing area to suit your needs and your situation. If you do not have a garden or it has been heavily treated with chemical fertiliser or weed-killer, it may be worth investing in either a specialist grow bag to keep on the patio or balcony, or filling a large, well drained plant trough with lime-free potting compost. Avoid using peat, as it can no longer be considered an organic growing medium. Never fertilise the plants as this will encourage too much leaf production and perhaps an imbalance of nitrogen. Sheep sorrel is a plant that thrives naturally in light, well drained soil as long as it has enough water.

    It is best either to plant seed in the spring or to transplant small plants in autumn or spring (depending on the possibility of rain) while maintaining a vigilant hand-weeding programme for at least the first two years until the root system has become firmly established and predominantly invasive. Sheep sorrel is tolerant of dry soil only once it is firmly established.
    The leaves and the soil must be regularly moistened for at least the first ten days after transplanting. During the first year after planting, bearing in mind that you want the plants to thicken and spread while they are in the initial process of establishing, it is better to harvest them lightly and not allow the plants to flower and go to seed. Do not cut close to the base of the plant when gathering.
     

    Sheep sorrel
     
    Cutting:
    Sheep sorrel is much easier to cut when there are large clumps of the plant growing close together, unaffected by grass or other plants, emphasising the necessity of regular hand-weeding.
    On a dry day after the dew has lifted, cut well-established plants to within half an inch of their base using clean, sharp shears. You should aim to have the plants out of the collecting bag and spread out to dry within four hours of harvesting. Do not leave the cut plants overnight in plastic carrier bags as they quickly begin to compost.
     
    Drying:
    Mali’s years of making excellent organic hay for horses taught her the value of drying herbage as quickly as possible while exposing the minimum crop to direct sunlight.
     
    Options for drying Sheep sorrel:
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