Essiac Recipe

To make 1 cup of mix to brew with 2 gallons of distilled water:

To make 1/2 cup of mix to brew with 1 gallons of distilled water:

Local health food store price on herbs in 2005 to make 1 gallon Essiac = $3.30

Supplies Needed  Do not use anything made of aluminum.

Stainless steel kettle with lid (or glass, UK unchipped enamel, CND granite pot)
Stainless steel sieve
Large stainless steel or wood stirring utensil
Stainless steel funnel or 2-cup glass measuring cup
Glass bottles/jars can be amber, colored or clear glass

Sizes of kettle and how many bottles/jars depend on amount of tea prepared.
3 gallon kettle and 14 small bottles/jars are ideal for 1 cup herb mix + 2 gallons of water.

Bottles/jars and lids can be sterilized by one of these methods:

1)  Boil for 10 minutes with a little food grade peroxide or Clorox.
2)  Boil bottle caps, put bottles in 250 degree oven for 10 minutes.
3)  Soak for 5 minutes in 1 ounce 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide plus 11 oz. distilled water.
4)  Soak for 5 minutes in 1/2 teaspoon Clorox plus 1 gallon distilled water.
5)  16 oz. size bottles can be sterilized in a microwave oven carefully.

The water you use for making Essiac tea should be as pure as possible. Don't use tap water. Most people use distilled water. Nice but not vital, you can "re-energize and re-oxygenate" distilled water by shaking it well or setting it in the sun for a few hours.

Preparation is pretty much the same in essiac books by Snow/Klein and Cynthia Olsen:

1. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.
2. Measure out desired amount of dry ingredients.
3. Pour appropriate amount of water into pot.
4. Bring water to a rolling boil with the lid on.
5. Stir dry ingredients into boiling water.
6. Replace lid and continue boiling at reduced heat for 10 minutes.
7. Turn off stove. Scrape down sides of pot and stir mixture thoroughly.
8. Replace lid, let pot sit and cool undisturbed for 10-12 hours (overnight).
9. Reheat to steaming hot, but do not let it boil.
10. Turn off heat and allow herbs to settle for a few minutes.
11. Pour hot liquid through sieve to catch sediment.
12. Use funnel to fill sterilized bottles/jars, put lids on.
13. Allow bottles/jars to cool, then tighten lids.
14. Store in dark cool place, always refrigerate an opened bottle.

Essiac contains no preservatives, discard if mold develops. "When in doubt, throw it out". To prevent waste, it may be better to only make 1 gallon at a time.

Unopened bottles can be stored in a cool, dark place, or keep all the bottles in the refrigerater. Don't freeze essiac or warm it up in a microwave (use hot non-microwaved water to dilute and warm it).

Directions for Use according to the book Essiac Essentials:

1 fluid ounce (30 ml) essiac tea per day, diluted in 2 fluid ounces (60 ml) hot water.
This should be sipped, preferably at bedtime on an empty stomach.
Food should not be eaten within one hour before/after drinking the tea.

As a daily tonic or to enhance the immune system:

Take half a fluid ounce (15 ml) per day, diluted in one ounce hot water.

According to Sheila Snow and Mali Klein on page 41 of their book Essiac Essentials,
"It is very important to use the dosage as Rene recommended, which was based on more than 54 years' experience. Rene was very concerned about this, which is why she personally administered the dose to her patients." Depending on special circumstances, Rene would sometimes advise an initial dose of one fluid ounce twice daily for the first five, ten or (rarely) thirty days before reducing to one fluid ounce once a day. In the same book Rene Caisse is quoted as saying,

"There is no need to to exceed this dose."

"People will not stick to the dose I give. They'll decide on their own

-- if a little's good, a lot's better. That's the way they think."

And nowadays you will find almost all essiac products recommend higher doses.