Sheep Sorrel in Essiac ® Formula
Rene Caisse used this common weed in her cure for cancer.
Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is one of the four ingredients in the herbal formula discovered by Rene Caisse in 1922. She isolated Sheep sorrel as a critcal ingredient.
A Common Weed with Healing Properties
Sheep sorrel is commonly known as a weed, is very easy to grow from seed, and, for this reason is sometimes considered invasive. One bushel of harvested sheep sorrel will make one pound of dried herb which is what is used in the original recipe for Essiac ®, a tea discovered by a canadian nurse, Rene Caisse in 1922. Rene stressed that the entire plant should be used. Harvest leaves and stems on a sunny day when the plant is four to six inches tall and before the flowers form so that all the energy will be in the leaves. It will grow back and you can harvest again and again from spring through fall. Harvest roots in the fall after it has gone to seed and when the energy of the plant is in the roots. Sheep sorrel will lose potency if stored for more than a year.
Full of Vitamins and Minerals
Sheep sorrel is the herb found to be responsible for the destruction of cancer cells and the reduction of the growth of the tumors, while the other herbs in Essiac ® act as blood purifiers, cleansing the system of destroyed tissue. It contains Vitamins A and B complex, C, D, E, K, P and Vitamin U. It also has minerals, including calcium, chlorine, iron, magnesium, silicon, sodium, sulfur, and trace amounts of copper, iodine, manganese and zinc. All of these work together to nourish the body as it heals. The chlorophyll carries oxygen throughout the bloodstream. Cancer cells do not live in the presence of oxygen. Sheep sorrel is also one of the strongest antioxidant herbs and with the use of it and other antioxidant rich herbs we can boost our immune systems.
Many Healing Properties
Sheep sorrel leaves have been used as a diuretic to remove excess fluid from the body, for urinary and kidney complaints, and to strengthen the heart. Other uses include: blood disorders, skin conditions, fevers, inflammation, diarrhea, excessive menstruation, and for throat and mouth ulcers. Crushed, fresh leaves or sludge left over from the tea are applied as a poultice to boils and cancerous sores. It is also said to reduce the damage of radiation burns, increase resistance to X-rays, improve the heart, intestines and lungs, aid in removing foreign deposits from blood vessel walls, purify the liver and stimulate new growth, and reduce inflammation of the pancreas.
Clearly an herb with many health benefits, Sheep sorrel, used in combination with Burdock root, Slippery Elm bark, and India (or Turkey) rhubarb create Essiac ®, the tea touted to diminish cancer cells with regular use. Whether or not it will cure cancer, you just can't go wrong with the many vitamins and minerals compacted into such a great plant.
Disclaimer:
Neither the author nor Suite101 make claims to the effectiveness of Essiac or any of the herbs listed to treat any ailments or disease. The author is merely reporting events and claims of others. As with any herb or drug, always seek the advice of a medical professional before starting or changing a treatment plan.
