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The effect of Essiac ® on clot lysis time. Figure 2. The effects of Essiac ® on platelet aggregation.
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Despite the recommendation of the Task Force on Alternative Therapies of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative, little research has been published on the widely used herbal compound Essiac. We aimed to address this deficiency by conducting a series of assays to determine some of the purported activities of Essiac in vitro.
The activity of...
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Context 1
... activity. Fibrinolytic activity and platelet aggregation. At the concentrations tested, Essiac ® produced no significant reduction in clot lysis time (Figure 1). At higher concentrations, Essiac ® interfered with normal clot breakdown. No significant difference was found between results produced with the addition of Essiac ® versus the control values for any of the three agonists (Figure 2). A comparison using one-way ANOVA (SPSS for Window, Ver 11.0, Chicago, Illinois, USA) of control versus the positive control (1 Ìg/ÌL ginger) demonstrated significant results for all three agonists, ADP (F=56.3, p<0.001), PAF (F=11.2, p=0.002) and collagen (F=31.5, ...
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Citations
... 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]. While we recognize that the results of our work conducted in C. elegans cannot be directly extended to humans, this model's 70% genetic and 87% developmental similarities to humans [32] has justified its extensive use in diverse research Cancer cells were exposed to 60 uM Cisplatin (positive control for apoptosis. ...
... As such, concerted efforts investigating the potential antiproliferative effects of Essiac ® have primarily focused on adherent tumor forming cancers, predominantly breast and prostate cancer [17,19,20,35]. Although one study included other cancers such as melanoma, ovarian, liver, and lung cancer [15]. Additionally, there has been just one study that included two non-adherent cancers (leukemias) [17]. ...
... Additionally, our results indicate that the antiproliferative effects of Essiac ® LHE are not mediated through the activation of apoptotic death, as demonstrated through the use of two different apoptosis assays. Together, our findings add to the body of evidence that lend support to the assertions of Essiac's ® antiproliferative and anticancer abilities [15,17,35]. ...
... Genuine Essiac tea used in the present study has been used as a popular anticancer and antioxidant tonic, and we selected it due to the reported ROS-scavenging properties of some of the herbs which conform the Genuine Essiac formula. [30,34,35] We used the following Essiac tea composition to evaluate its effect at very low dose IRs on DNA damage: burdock root (Arctium lappa), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), Turkish rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus), kelp (Laminariales), watercress (Nasturtium officinale), and red clover (Trifolium pratense). We purchased from Home Bodies, LLC., the Genuine Essiac tea bag in a 1 lb (454 g) pulverized presentation. ...
... As there are reports available stating that Genuine Essiac tea worked as ROS scavenger and IR (X-ray) exerts it damage by increasing cell ROS; we evaluated if its antioxidant feature protects cells against DNA damage induced by X-ray and exerts by ROS as previously reported for similar formulas. [26,30,35,54] ...
... The mechanism of radioprotection by Essiac tea may be ascribed to its reported antioxidant, antilipid peroxidative, or free radical-scavenging properties. [26,30,35,40,55] Therefore, Genuine Essiac formulae demonstrated its potential as a radioprotective agents as it also showed no toxicity to the animal model. Furthermore, it needs more research in order to be prescribed for pregnant and pediatric patients though the commercial spot suggests administration to children. ...
Context: Essiac tea is been used widely in the homeopathy market for cancer treatment. Aims: We hypothesized its use for DNA-damaged mitigation under very low ionizing radiation (IR) on BALB/c mice (10–40 mSv). Settings and Design: The radioprotection of Essiac tea formulae was evidenced by comet assay (CA) and micronucleus (MN) acridine orange staining. We also reported complete blood count, animal weight, and fasting glucose levels to control for tea toxicity. Materials and Methods: Fifty BALB/c male mice of 6-7 week old and pathogen free mice were randomly divided in to control group, control irradiated mice, irradiated and tea or ascorbic acid treated mice, tea treated mice and ascorbic acid treated mice. Genuine Essiac tea treatment was given ad libitum for 7 weeks and ascorbic for no >13 days. The animals were exposed to three different X-ray doses (10 mSv, 20 mSv, and 40 mSv). Statistical Analysis Used: An independent one-tailed t-test or Dunnett's test was used to compare animal weight, fasting glucose levels, white blood count, comet percentage, and MN percentage, between doses, treatment, and controls, after a Welch's ANOVA and Mann–Whitney U-test using Excel worksheets from Biostathandbook.com website. Results: The tea formula resulted in a significant reduction of DNA damaged evidenced by CA (P < 0.01 for dose 3–40 mSv). By MN staining, the peak of significant induction of MNs was by the lower doses, D1 and D2, with a P value = 0.001 and P value = 0.014, respectively; however those irradiated animals when were treated with tea showed reduction of MNs and no significant difference from controls. Conclusions: Using an optimized murine model, we demonstrated that Genuine Essiac tea is not toxic and that it acts as a radioprotector against very low doses of IR.
... Flor·Essence (FE) Tonics is a complex mixture of commercially available herbal extracts, and is sold as a dietary supplement and used by patients with cancer due to reports that it may aid in treating or preventing disease (8). Large quantities of supplements are shipped to the US and Canada annually, primarily for use in cancer treatment (9)(10)(11)(12)(13). ...
Flor·Essence (FE), a natural food grade herbal formula product manufactured by Flora Manufacturing & Distributing Ltd., has been used by patients with cancer in North America to stimulate immune cells in order to attenuate or reverse immune damage. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of FE on the immune system, spleen lymphocyte proliferation was analyzed by an MTT assay, and the phagocytic capacity of macrophages was measured via the neutral red phagocytosis method. The cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells towards K562 cells was assessed via a CytoTox 96 assay. The production of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 and interferon (IFN)-γ in the peripheral blood was determined via ELISA and PCR analysis. The expression levels of caveolin-1 and NF-κB were measured via western blotting. In addition, cyclophosphamide was used to establish a mouse model of immunosuppression. It was found that the proliferation of splenocytes, the phagocytic capacity of macrophages and the cytotoxicity of NK cells against K562 cells were increased after oral administration of FE to mice. FE augmented the production of IL-12 and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood of mice. FE significantly increased the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and caveolin-1, and decreased NF-κB expression. Finally, FE enhanced the viability of immune cells from cyclophosphamide-treated immunosuppressed mice. The results indicated that FE could activate immune responses and enhance natural immunity, suggesting that oral administration of FE can activate the body's immune response and resist damage caused by cyclophosphamide chemotherapy.
... Genuine Essiac tea used in the present study has been used as a popular anticancer and antioxidant tonic, and we selected it due to the reported ROS-scavenging properties of some of the herbs which conform the Genuine Essiac formula. [30,34,35] We used the following Essiac tea composition to evaluate its effect at very low dose IRs on DNA damage: burdock root (Arctium lappa), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), Turkish rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus), kelp (Laminariales), watercress (Nasturtium officinale), and red clover (Trifolium pratense). We purchased from Home Bodies, LLC., the Genuine Essiac tea bag in a 1 lb (454 g) pulverized presentation. ...
... As there are reports available stating that Genuine Essiac tea worked as ROS scavenger and IR (X-ray) exerts it damage by increasing cell ROS; we evaluated if its antioxidant feature protects cells against DNA damage induced by X-ray and exerts by ROS as previously reported for similar formulas. [26,30,35,54] ...
... The mechanism of radioprotection by Essiac tea may be ascribed to its reported antioxidant, antilipid peroxidative, or free radical-scavenging properties. [26,30,35,40,55] Therefore, Genuine Essiac formulae demonstrated its potential as a radioprotective agents as it also showed no toxicity to the animal model. Furthermore, it needs more research in order to be prescribed for pregnant and pediatric patients though the commercial spot suggests administration to children. ...
... According to the literature, CYP2C19 inducers, including St John's wort [56], ginkgo [57], corydalis decumbens [58], yin zhi huang [59]. CYP2C19 inhibitors, including Gyejibokryeong-hwan [60], Rooibos tea [61], Danhong injection [62], ursolic acid and lupeol [63], rosmarinic acid [64], Oryeong-san [65], SynacinnTM [66], Quercetin [67], M. charantia, P. amarus and T. diversifolia [68], Hedera helix L. [69], Re Du Ning Injection [70], Newbouldia laevis [71], traditional herbal formulae Sijunzi Decoction, Siwu Decoction, Bawu Decoction and Shiquan Dabu Decoction [72], wild Egyptian artichoke [73], ethanol extract of D. sophia seeds [74], Isoquinoline Alkaloids [75], Eurycoma longifolia [76], Dihydrotanshinone and miltirone [77], kanglaite [78], Hwang-Ryun-Hae -Dok-Tang [79], genipin [80], Rhus verniciflua stoke [81], alpha-viniferin [82], Bacopa monnieri [83], Honokiol [84], ginger extract [85], Centella asiatica and Orthosiphon stamineus [86], Eupatilin and jaceosidin [87], dong quai [88], Essiac [89], Epimedii herba extracts [90], ursolic acid [91]. Co-admistration of these TCM with clopidogrel, there may occur interactions in clinic. ...
The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has obtained more and more acceptance all over the world due to its multi-target and multi-level function characteristics. Clopidogrel is a major therapeutic option to reduce atherothrombotic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome, recent myocardial infarction, recent stroke or established peripheral arterial disease. These patients probably take TCM. Are there any interactions between clopidogrel and TCM? Whether TCM will affect the efficacy of clopidogrel or increase the adverse reactions of bleeding? Clarifying this information will help physicians make better use of TCM. A literature search was carried out using Web of Science, PubMed and the Cochrane Library to analyze the pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interactions of clopidogrel and TCM. Some herbs can increase the AUC or Cmax of clopidogrel, such as Scutellarin, Danggui, Gegen, Sauchinone and Dengzhan Shengmai capsules. Whereas others can decrease clopidogrel, for example, Ginkgo and Danshen. Furthermore, some herbs can increase the AUC or Cmax of clopidogrel active metabolite, including Ginkgo and Xuesaitong tablet. And others can decrease the clopidogrel active metabolite, such as Scutellarin, Danshen, Fufang Danshen Dripping Pill and Dengzhan Shengmai capsules. Additionally, Schisandra chinensis, Danggui, Gegen and Fufang Danshen Dripping Pill can decrease the AUC or Cmax of the clopidogrel inactive metabolite, while Curcumin on the contrary. The pharmacodynamics of Panax notoginseng, Notoginsenoside Ft1, Hypericum perforatum, Shexiang baoxin pills, Naoxintong capsule increased the antiplatelet activity compared with clopidogrel alone, while Danshen decreased the platelet inhibition. In adverse reactions, Danggui can enhance the adverse effects of clopidogrel on the bleeding time. With more awareness and understanding on potential drug-herb interactions of clopidogrel and TCM, it may be possible to combine clopidogrel with TCM herbs to yield a better therapeutic outcome.
... Slippery elm barkpowdered (Ulmus fulva). Clinical trials on this formula found that the product claims were substantiated (Seely et al., 2007;Saleem et al., 2009). A study of the Essiac formula involving rats found that it had potential as a leukemia treatment that had no side effects (Kabeel et al., 2018). ...
Ethnopharmacological relevance
There are insufficient safe and effective treatments for chronic pain in pets. In cases such as osteoarthritis there is no commercially available cure and veterinarians use NSAIDs to manage pain. Pet owners may have to plan for a lifetime of plant-based treatment for the conditions that lead to chronic pain in pets. Phytopharmacotherapies have the advantage of being less toxic, cheap or free, readily available, are more likely to be safe for long-term use and have the potential to reset the immune system to normal functioning.
Aim of the study
To examine the recently published medicinal plant research that matches unpublished data on ethnoveterinary medicines (EVM) used for pets in Canada (British Columbia) to see if the EVM data can provide a lead to the development of necessary drugs.
Materials and methods
In 2003 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 participants who were organic farmers or holisitic medicinal/veterinary practitioners obtained using a purposive sample. A draft manual prepared from the data was then evaluated by participants at a participatory workshop that discussed the plant-based treatments. A copy of the final version of the manual was given to all research participants. In 2018, the recently published research matching the EVM data was reviewed to see if the EVM practices could serve as a lead for further research.
Results and conclusion
Medicinal plants are used to treat a range of conditions. The injuries treated in pets in British Columbia included abscesses (resulting from an initial injury), sprains and abrasions. Dogs were also treated with medicinal plants for rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain and articular cartilage injuries. More than 40 plants were used. Anal gland problems were treated with Allium sativum L., Aloe vera L., Calendula officinalis L., Plantago major L., Ulmus fulva Michx., Urtica dioica L. and Usnea longissima Ach. Arctium lappa, Hydrangea arborescens and Lactuca muralis were used for rheumatoid arthritis and joint pain in pets.
Asthma was treated with: Linum usitatissimum L., Borago officinalis L., Verbascum thapsus L., Cucurbita pepo L., Lobelia inflata L., and Zingiber officinale Roscoe. Pets with heart problems were treated with Crataegus oxyacantha L., Cedronella canariensis (L.) Willd. ex Webb & Berth, Equisetum palustre L., Cypripedium calceolus L., Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex Lawson, Humulus lupulus L., Valeriana officinalis L., Lobelia inflata L., Stachys officinalis (L.) Trev., and Viscum album L. The following plants were used for epilepsy, motion sickness and anxiety- Avena sativa L., Valeriana officinalis, Lactuca muralis (L.) Fresen., Scutellaria lateriflora L., Satureja hortensis L., and Passiflora incarnata L.
Plants used for cancer treatment included Phytolacca decandra, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes, Rumex acetosella, Arctium lappa, Ulmus fulva, Rheum palmatum, Frangula purshiana, Zingiber officinale, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Ulmus fulva, Althea officinalis, Rheum palmatum, Rumex crispus and Plantago psyllium. Trifolium pratense was used for tumours in the prostate gland. Also used were Artemisia annua, Taraxacum officinale and Rumex crispus.
This review of plants used in EVM was possible because phytotherapy research of the plants described in this paper has continued because few new pharmaceutical drugs have been developed for chronic pain and because treatments like glucocorticoid therapy do not heal. Phytotherapuetic products are also being investigated to address the overuse of antibiotics. There have also been recent studies conducted on plant-based functional foods and health supplements for pets, however there are still gaps in the knowledge base for the plants Stillingia sylvatica, Verbascum thapsus, Yucca schidigera and Iris versicolor and these need further investigation.
... In a recent survey at a large integrative cancer center in the United States, 38% of patients reported using herbs and overall, 4.9% used the Flor-Essence tonic [10]. Flor-Essence tonic is manufactured in Canada where approximately forty thousand units of tonic and dried herbs are distributed to customers in Canada, the United States and internationally each month [11]. ...
... These results are in agreement with previous studies demonstrating the inhibitory effects of Essiac® on cancer (Tamayo et al., 2000;Tai, Cheung, Wong, & Lowe, 2004;Leonard et al., 2006). Essiac® modifies the immune response (Seely et al., 2007). Treatment of isolated human T cells from healthy donors with Essiac® significantly stimulated CD8+ cells, in a dose-dependent manner (Seely et al., 2007). ...
... Essiac® modifies the immune response (Seely et al., 2007). Treatment of isolated human T cells from healthy donors with Essiac® significantly stimulated CD8+ cells, in a dose-dependent manner (Seely et al., 2007). Modification of suppressed T cell function plays a significant role in cancer treatment modalities (Knutson & Disis, 2005), and enhancement of CD8+ activity by Essiac® was considered as an interesting mechanism for further investigation of the purported anticancer effects of Essiac® (Seely et al., 2007). ...
... Treatment of isolated human T cells from healthy donors with Essiac® significantly stimulated CD8+ cells, in a dose-dependent manner (Seely et al., 2007). Modification of suppressed T cell function plays a significant role in cancer treatment modalities (Knutson & Disis, 2005), and enhancement of CD8+ activity by Essiac® was considered as an interesting mechanism for further investigation of the purported anticancer effects of Essiac® (Seely et al., 2007). In addition, Essiac® was also reported to have a greater cytotoxicity for neoplastic cells than normal cells (Ottenweller, Putt, Blumenthal, Dhawale, & Dhawale, 2004;Tai et al., 2004). ...
Leukemia is a malignant blood disease caused by the overproduction of a large number of immature blood cells that enter the peripheral blood. Because of the side effects associating the chemotherapy of leukemia, the identification of medicinal herbs, therefore, remains to be an attractive goal to treat leukemia. In this study, leukemia was experimentally induced in rats by 7, 12-dimethyl benza[a]anthracene (DMBA) and rats were treated with a water extract of a four-plant (Arctium lappa, Ulmus rubra, Rumex acetosella, and Rheum palmatum) mixture. Application of this four-plant mixture extract successfully recovered weight loss and restored the normal total WBC, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts in a leukemia rat model compared to either the DMSO-treated rats or the leukemic rats before applying the plant mixture. Moreover, this plant mixture decreased the percentage of blasts by two thirds in leukemic rats. By quantitative real-time PCR, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 mRNA expression in lymphocytes was downregulated in leukemic rats, and this downregulation was significantly alleviated by treating the leukemic rats with the plant mixture. This study investigates, for the first time, the effect of this plant mixture on a chemically induced leukemia rat model. Results further support previous reports about the anti-carcinogenic effect of this plant mixture and highlights the possibility of its use in leukemia treatment to avoid the negative side effects of the usual therapy.
... A criticism of this study is the high concentration of Essiac used as the preparation was a 1 : 2 Essiac tea. Essiac showed significant antioxidant activity (ABTS assay) (Seely et al 2007). In the third study, Essiac showed both antioxidant (TEAC assay) and proinflammatory actions such as induction of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) (Cheung et al 2005). ...
... However, it would actually support the use of burdock seed not of the root. A further study found no antiproliferative activity for Essiac in prostate cancer (Eberding et al 2007), whereas dose-dependent inhibition of seven cancer cell lines was shown by Seely et al (2007). ...
... Patient 1 also took Essiac 19,20, a herbal tea with several constituents, including burdock root, Indian rhubarb root, sheep sorrel, and slippery elm. The only positive anticancer effect observed in preclinical testing was in prostate and ovarian cancer cell lines; all leukemia, lymphoma, sarcoma, and solid-tumour tests were negative 19,21. No formal phase i or ii clinical trials of Essiac have been conducted. ...
Cancer patients frequently use alternative therapies. Two follicular lymphoma patients who had objective tumour regression after taking Devil's Claw without cytotoxic therapy are reported here.
Patient 1 presented with coexistent immunoglobulin G plasma cell dyscrasia and stage iiia lymphoma (nodes 5 cm in diameter). Computed tomography scan 10 months later showed partial regression. On enquiry, it was learned that the patient was taking Devil's Claw and Essiac (Essiac Products Services, Pompano Beach, FL, U.S.A.). This patient later developed overt myeloma, at which time he stopped the herbal supplements and underwent high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, since which no lymphoma progression has occurred. Patient 2 presented with stage IIIA lymphoma (nodes 2.5 cm in diameter). He learned of patient 1 through our lymphoma patient support group and started Devil's Claw. Computed tomography scan 11 months later showed decreased adenopathy and splenomegaly, which has been sustained for 4 years.
Devil's Claw tuberous root has anti-inflammatory properties, probably through suppression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. There are no prior reports of anticancer activity. Inhibition of COX-2 has a role in colon cancer prevention, has been implicated in lymphomagenesis, and is associated both with lymphoma stage and with response to treatment. However, spontaneous regression in lymphoma has been reported in 16% of patients in one series, of whom none were on herbal medications or COX-2 inhibitors. The key issue in both these patients is whether disease regression was "spontaneous" or causally related to therapy with Devil's Claw. The timing of the response suggests a positive effect. Further investigation is warranted, preferably with a COX-2 inhibitor of known purity.
