The chemistry and biological activity of herbs used in Flor-Essence? herbal tonic and Essiac

Abstract

The herbal mixtures, Essiac™ and Flor‐Essence™, are sold as nutritional supplements and used by patients to treat chronic conditions, particularly cancer. Evidence of anticancer activity for the herbal teas is limited to anecdotal reports recorded for some 40 years in Canada. Individual case reports suggest that the tea improves quality of life, alleviates pain, and in some cases, impacts cancer progression among cancer patients. Experimental studies with individual herbs have shown evidence of biological activity including antioxidant, antioestrogenic, immunostimulant, antitumour, and antiocholeretic actions. However, research that demonstrates these positive effects in the experimental setting has not been translated to the clinical arena. Currently, no clinical studies of Essiac™ or Flor‐essence™ are published, but a clinical study is being planned at the British Columbia Cancer Agency by the University of Texas‐Center for Alternative Medicine (UT‐CAM) and Tzu‐Chi Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Investigation of the in vivo and in vitro effects of Essiac® liquid herbal extract on health and cancer

“…We also found that a short 48-hour exposure to Essiac ® LHE improved the ability of C. elegans to resist oxidative stress induced death (Figure 2). It is very likely that both of these results can be attributed to the high levels of antioxidant and anthraquinones found within the Essiac ® LHE herbal mixture [13]. Our findings are in line with other studies that have shown the strong antioxidant ability of various Essiac® formulations in combating different forms of ROS [14][15][16].…”

“…Kulp et. al's warning behind the use of Essiac® in breast cancer patients stems from the phytoestrogens found within the herbs of the Essiac® mixture; sheep sorrel and burdock root (13). Phytoestrogens, such as genistein and daidzein, are plant derived chemicals with structural similarity to mammalian estrogens, that have the ability to bind to ERs [36,37].…”

Cissus sicyoides: Pharmacological Mechanisms Involved in the Anti-Inflammatory and Antidiarrheal Activities

“…The small intestine also has the ability to secrete water and electrolytes. This excessive secretory capacity can clearly be demonstrated by administration of castor oil—a cathartic agent—this being a condition/characteristic of diarrhea [ 44 ]. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of HECS on fluid accumulation induced by castor oil in the mice intestinal fluid model.…”

Essiac® and Flor-Essence® herbal tonics stimulate the in vitro growth of human breast cancer cells

“…Sheep sorrel and burdock root are present in Flor-Essence Ò and Essiac Ò and red clover is a component of Flor-Essence Ò . Extracts of all of these herbs have been reported to contain phytoestrogens [18], which may be directly interacting with the ER.…”