HOME > ESSIAC FAQ > CAN SUGAR OR SWEETENERS BE ADDED TO ESSIAC TEA
~~~~~~
Can Sugar or Sweeteners Be Added to Essiac Tea?
~~~~~~
ESSIAC CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
~~~~~~
Some people feel that they need to add a sugar or other sweetener to Essiac tea. After all, adding a sweetener or cream is part of the culture of tea and coffee drinking.
Unfortunately, sweeteners—both natural and artificial—are in so many packaged foods that our bodies have become accustomed to them to the extent that we cannot do without them and even crave them in all of our foods and soft drinks.
~~~~~~
However, Essiac tea is an exception. It should not be sweetened. In fact, nothing should be added to Essiac tea at all. Plus, Essiac is a pleasant tasting tea all by itself and it doesn’t need a sweetener.
~~~~~~
Why Shouldn’t Anything Be Added To Essiac Tea?
~~~~~~
Rene Caisse designed Essiac tea specifically to treat cancer patients. She developed Essiac over decades of research and hands on experience in her Bracebridge, Ontario Cancer Clinic. She eventually found that Essiac even helped diabetics. Since that time many more benefits have been reported by Essiac users.
Rene Caisse had a specific reason for everything she did regarding the tea. Rene warned us “If it works, don’t change it.” Mary was Rene’s best friend and the only person that Rene Caisse trained personally. So she knew exactly what Rene’s specifications were for making the tea.
~~~~~~
Here is what Mary McPherson stated in the video interview below regarding Rene Caisse’s Essiac tea formula and recipe:
“It was advertised by Dr. Gary Glum, who wrote the book, “Calling of an Angel”, and he made this recipe public. Before that it was a secret. And it was a pretty well kept secret for a good many years. But once the book came out, why, it went all over.
“Then various people decided that it might be better if we changed this or that or the other, you know, how everybody thinks they know better. And that’s how I think it has gotten so many different versions at the present time.
Question: “And do you think Rene knew that this would happen?
Mary: “Oh, of course she did. She told me many times that she would have printed this in the newspaper, only that nobody would follow it. Everybody would change it.
“First thing she said they would do was make it shorter because it takes too long to make it. So she didn’t want any short cuts done at all. She had a reason for everything she did in this recipe.”
~~~~~~
With a decoction the tea is boiled in water for ten minutes, allowed to sit for about eight hours and then reheated. This obviously creates chemical changes in the tea. There are many different types of sweeteners so we don’t know what changes they would make to the tea. Whatever changes a sweetener would make chemically and how these chemical changes would affect human biology has never been studied so we just don’t know.
What we do know is that Essiac tea works just the way that Rene Caisse designed it from all of her years of research and experience with cancer patients. Therefore, if anything is added to Rene’s four-herb formula and recipe it is no longer “Essiac tea”.
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
Should Artificial Sweeteners Be Avoided?
When one searches the internet to answer this question one will find numerous websites stating that there are no studies that reveal any adverse side effects from artificial sweeteners. However, that is not entirely true. Click on the red links below for more information.
~~~~~~
High-fructose Corn Syrup is Everywhere — Scientists Say It May Make Cancerous Tumors Grow Faster
Consuming fructose boosts the growth of cancerous tumors, according to a new peer-reviewed study.
“In some cases, the growth rate of the tumors accelerated by two-fold or even higher,” said the study’s corresponding author Gary Patti, Ph.D.
~~~~~~
“A chemical found in common artificial sweetener may cause DNA damage, cancer”
New research suggests that sucralose-6-acetate, a chemical found in artificial sweeteners, is “genotoxic,” meaning it could cause DNA damage.
The study findings show that sucralose harms gut health and may lead to oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer.
When choosing sugar substitutes, stevia or monk fruit may be considered healthier options compared to artificial sweeteners.
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
It is easy to understand why there is a controversy about high-fructose corn syrup since it is such a prevalent food additive today. A lot of vested interests have a lot to lose when people avoid buying it. Also, most of the foods and beverages containing HFCS are made from non-organic corn that is often sprayed with cancer-causing glyphosate, not only as an herbicide but also as a drying agent sprayed directly on grains, sugar cane, etc, just before harvest.
This is generally not the case with certified organic foods. So the choice is obvious.
Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends dextrose as a natural sweetener since it is absorbed in the small intestine and doesn’t reach the colon where other forms of sugar can feed the bad bacteria.
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~
* BUYER BEWARE! Most Essiac companies and herb suppliers are now obtaining Sheep Sorrel leaf from Bulgaria and Croatia and it is dead plant material and not even green! Therefore, most of the Essiac sold in the US now has little medicinal value for cancer patients. We are concerned that this may eventually give quality Essiac Tea an undeserved reputation for being ineffective against cancer. This may also give false hope for cancer patients.
This is why we place so much attention on how we grow our certified organic herbs and the extra effort and care we place on quality, even though our Essiac Tea Herbs cost significantly more than other Essiac tea providers. As the old adage goes: “You get what you pay for.” *
~~~~~~
The information on this website is for educational and historical purposes and not to be construed as medical advice. Everyone’s body is different so there is no one-size-fits-all for health issues. It should be noted that medical doctors are not usually taught about such subjects as herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, non-pharmceutical approaches to health, etc. Therefore, choosing an appropriate health professional is a human right and that is up to the individual seeking health improvement.
~~~~~~