The Story Behind Essiac & the 8-Herb Formula – a word from our founder

Essiac’s roots reach further back than most people realise. According to one well-documented historical thread, the formula first appears in the 1890s, when a Native American medicine man gave a herbal blend to a woman living in a northern Ontario mining camp who had cancer. She recovered and, many years later, shared the recipe with nurse Rene M. Caisse in the 1920s.

The original blend is reported by some to include the four classic herbs — burdock root, sheep sorrel (including root), slippery elm, and turkey rhubarb — but many reports state it was an 8-herb blend, also including red clover, watercress, periwinkle, and an eighth herb believed to be goldthread.

When Rene began working with the herbs herself, she experimented, refined, and adjusted the formula. Over time, she focused on four core herbs – burdock root, sheep sorrel (including root), slippery elm, and turkey rhubarb – which she protected most fiercely later in life. This 4-herb blend is the one many people associate with her name today.

Her first patient was her aunt who had been diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer and given six months to live. After two months of drinking an Essiac brew, she recovered fully and went on to live another 20 years. Another of Nurse Caisse’s patients not only reversed her cancer but her insulin-dependent diabetes as well.

Rene dedicated decades to working with these herbs and supporting thousands of people who came to her — many whom had been deemed ‘unsavable’ by doctors.

Those four herbs form the foundation of Essiac’s story — even if what happened next turned into a far more tangled web.

When I say I didn’t know how deep the debate went, I mean it. I was completely unaware of the drama and passion surrounding the “which version is best” debate until people started emailing me paragraphs, sending me links, and passionately informing me of all sorts of claims about this tea vs that tea. And I get it — when people are fighting for their life, you want to make the right choices. I don’t take that lightly, believe me.

Meanwhile, I was just here… making my Essiac and feeling the benefits.

What I’ve realised is this:

I’m just one person who wants to support people in this world the best I can.

I’m still researching and learning, and I will never take the attitude of “this is the only truth,” because it’s just not who I am. I believe we are all learning all the time, growing as people, and there’s always someone with more information to add to what we know.

But more than anything, I believe in our own responsibility and innate ability to navigate what’s best for us. A huge part of my own journey with cancer was exactly that — learning to listen to my own body again, becoming reconnected to a body that deeply needed support. That’s why I am always advocating for people to trust their own gut instinct.

I will always be researching, and I’m not committed or chained to any one company. If new information arises, I’ll look at it openly.

Right now, I choose the 8-herb formula because of three simple truths:

I’ve seen it help many people.

I’ve experienced its potency myself, so I can personally vouch for it.

And because the herbs individually are incredible and supportive on their own — and the blend together holds a depth and potency you can feel.

And because, despite the heated history and the people who choose to debate the story of how it developed, the 8-herb formula has been used consistently for many decades with thousands of personal testimonials behind it. These can be explored on the Genuine Essiac Facebook page and website, but also by looking up users of Flor-Essence, which also uses the 8-herb blend.

This isn’t about claiming it’s the “only” correct formula or the “right” formula — or about dismissing the lived experience of those who believe deeply in the 4-herb blend.

It’s about offering something I believe in, transparently, to make it easily accessible here in the UK.

The suppliers I currently work with — Bryan and Gina at Genuine Essiac — genuinely care about the product they’re offering. They have their own story and historical understanding behind the 8-herb formula, and you can read more about that on their page. What I’m hugely grateful for is that they’ve held strong in pushing to bring this version — developed over years of research — to the public at a price that is reasonable and not overinflated. Rene had always intended for Essiac to be affordable and available to those who need it, and unfortunately along the way, many paths have led to many versions becoming really expensive and inaccessible.

But this page isn’t here to sell you one company’s narrative.

It’s here because being upfront matters more to me than choosing sides.

You’ll always get from me:

1. Transparency

No pretending the history is clearer than it is — it can be a foggy picture, but maybe, just maybe, the herbs speak for themselves, and when you are months into your journey with Essi Organic, your body will be the proof of that.

2. Honesty

If something changes, or if I learn more or updated research emerges that I feel is relevant to Essi Organic customers — I’ll tell you.

3. Integrity

I will only ever offer what I feel is truly supportive and well-sourced — it’s why I started Essi-Organic in the first place.

4. No Medical Claims

This is a traditional herbal formula, and while I hugely believe in this formula and there are many testimonials, I don’t make medical claims and always encourage everyone to do what’s right for their own bodies. Our suppliers’ website has been running for decades and has a host of research and information, so I encourage anyone seeking more info to have a read there.

5. Respect for Your Autonomy

Your body knows what it needs. I’m simply here to offer one option among many that can be deeply beneficial on this journey to health.

A Final Word

Essiac — whether 4-herb or 8-herb — has been part of people’s wellness journeys, particularly with cancer, for generations. Not because the history is perfect or the paperwork is flawless, but because the plants themselves carry something supportive, grounding, and deeply healing.

I’m here to share what I know at this point in my own journey and offer what I trust will help many people on their journeys when navigating a path to better health.

If you ever have questions or want to talk through the herbs, the brewing, or the history, I’m here — and always willing to share any sources of information I have.

Always.