Essiac Essentials

because of the taste, Sheep sorrel is easily identified by its narrow, pointed green leaves ending in distinctive little ‘tails’ where the leaf joins the stalk. Sheep sorrel grows happily on neutral to acidic soils, on open heathland, under light woodland, some pine forests, volcanic wasteland and around rabbits. It prefers light and sandy soil but can be found flourishing on dense clay where the wetter conditions generally produce larger leaves. Unlike most docks, Sheep sorrel is not a hermaphrodite plant. Male (yellow-green flowers) and female (reddish flowers) plants are necessary to ensure adequate cross-pollination.
    The stubbornly tenacious root system, once established, can survive forest and moorland fire, periods of drought and deep frost and is sufficiently invasive to eradicate many other species. That being said, Sheep sorrel will not tolerate either alkaline soil or being closely overshadowed by larger plants. The whole plant goes into hibernation during drought. Under stress, the chlorophyll content becomes significantly depleted and the leaves and stems turn red.
    Along with the other sorrels, the herb has been used for centuries as a folk remedy as well as in salads and soups. The fresh leaves add a tangy, almost astringent, quality when used as a stuffing and cooked with fish. Medicinally, Sheep sorrel has been recorded as having been used to treat ulcers and cancer. Its action is refrigerant, diaphoretic and diuretic — i.e. cooling, inducing perspiration and increasing the secretion and flow of urine. Native American Indians have been recorded as using all parts of the plant, leaves, stems, roots and seeds, for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Both the roots and the seeds have been used to check haemorrhages because of their astringent properties. Additionally, the root contains four more elements to those found in the aerial part of the plant and should be included in a small quantity in the tea.
    In her research Sheila came across this excerpt in Rene’s files from a photocopy taken from an old book (source not noted):
    “An old Indian doctor living in Oregon has been very successful in treating cancer by bruising sheep sorrel upon brass and applying as a poultice as long as the patient can bear it. He alternates this with a bread and milk poultice but always leaves the sorrel on as long as possible. This treatment is continued until the cancer is drawn out by the root. The writer knows of two persons who were cured in this manner after their physicians had pronounced a cure impossible. It is also well to drink a tea made of the sheep sorrel.”
     
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    Of the four herbs in the recipe, the quality of the Sheep sorrel seems to be the deciding factor as to the overall effectiveness of the Essiac formula and it was the one herb that Rene isolated during her early years of research as having a direct effect on cancerous tumours. It is also the herb which is most often commercially substituted in the tea as it is not easily harvested in large, commercially viable quantities. The cheaper dock plants, Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and Curled or Yellow dock ( Rumex crispus), are the substitutes for Sheep sorrel most often used by irresponsible distributors and suppliers. A packet of dried and powdered ‘Sheep sorrel’ could contain either of these — so be advised to check your source thoroughly. The dock plants share some of the same healing properties as Sheep sorrel, but not all of them. We have had reports of goitre conditions improving when Sheep sorrel is present in the recipe and deteriorating when it has been substituted by one of the docks.
    Rumex acetosella has also been substituted by its ‘sister plants’ — i.e. Spinach dock or Monk’s rhubarb (Rumex alpinus ); Sorrel or Garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa ); Turkey rhubarb or Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum ). Sorrel and rhubarb are all acid or ammonium plants with a cell sap pH value 1.2 — 1.5 because of the large amounts of organic acids noted in leaves, stems and roots.
     
    ANALYSIS
    Vitamins : Anti oxidants* A, C+P, E; vitamin B-complex (especially in the seeds): vitamin D; anti-haemorrhagic vitamin K; anti-ulcer vitamin U.
     
    Minerals : Trace amounts of free radical scourging copper, manganese and zinc; calcium; chlorine; iron; magnesium; silicon; sodium; sulphur; trace amounts of iodine.
     
    Other constituents : Antioxidant/anti-cancer carotenoids* + para-aminobenzoic acid, chlorophylls; organic