Wed Nov 15, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- Essiac tea is known to many cancer patients as an alternative cancer therapy as much documented evidence indicates that this is a very effective treatment for many types of cancer even though this remedy has not extensively been studied for its anticancer efficacy.
One study reported in 2004 suggests that Essiac tea extracts may be used to treat at least prostate cancer if not other cancers.
The study was conducted in a laboratory setting. For the study, researchers exposed both noncancerous cells and cancerous cells to an Essiac preparation purchased from Essiac Canada International in Ottawa, Canada.
The researchers found Essiac decreased proliferation of both noncancerous and cancerous prostate cancer cells. Both non-cancerous and prostate cancer cells responded to the treatment with Essiac tea extract in a dose-response matter.
They also found prostate cancer cells were more sensitive to the Essiac tea extract than non-cancerous cells, that is, Essiac tea is more effective in inhibiting proliferation of prostate cancer cells than that of non-cancerous cells. In other words, Essiac tea has a selective anticancer effect on cancer cells without rendering too much a negative effect on healthy cells.
The study also found at low doses, Essiac tea increased the proliferation of immune T-lymphocytes while at high doses, the tea inhibited T-cell proliferation.
The study concludes that "Essiac preparations may be able to inhibit tumor cell growth while enhancing immune response to antigenic stimulation. This may be especially valuable in immune-suppressed individuals." (David Liu)
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