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Featuring Demian Dressler, DVM and Sue Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology), authors of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide

Essiac: Could It Cause What It’s Treating??

Updated: May 15th, 2024

For years, Essiac has been touted as an herbal anti-cancer remedy.  It got a lot of publicity and press, and has become entrenched in the minds of the alternative  health community.

It is used to a great extent, and some use it for dog cancer treatment.  Let’s look at this a little closer.

Many are familiar with the old saying, “First, do no harm.”  This is the translation of the original latin, primum non nocere.  Some believe it to be part of the Hippocratic oath, but the saying probably was coined by a French doctor alive during the 1700’s and 1800’s.

When we are coping with a canine cancer diagnosis, primum non nocere takes on a whole new meaning, in particular in the realm of conventional care.  Side effects are more concerning in cancer medicine than in almost any other branch of traditional medicine.

We must remember though that the so-called “natural” treatments also have side effects.  This should be a critical aspect of selecting which are used, and how, and when.

When I was evaluating Apocaps, a big part of the development was safety. Regular blood tests were done investigating 28 dogs over time to make sure all the internal organs were healthy.  This type of consideration is important for a loved family member.

Now, when making the choice to use an intervention, I am hoping that the reader will want information.  Being your dog’s primary health advocate means that you are in the driver’s seat, that you must take an active role with your veterinarian or oncologist in creating a plan for your loved dog.

Now, at the risk of offending some, I feel that we should really look at the use of Essiac before charging into it. I have yet to see an “in vivo” study (in real life bodies, not in test tubes or petri dishes) that really show that Essiac does something real.

Okay, I will admit that not everything that works has an official clinical trial to back it up.  But what if there is a published study suggesting it may do harm?

This is the case with Essiac.  There is actually a study in rats that suggests that Essiac may literally increase the risk (promote growth) of breast cancer. Here is the abstract for you to read yourself.

Ouch!  This is not what I would reach for in treating a dog with cancer, personally speaking.  It just gives me the heebie jeebies that this data exists.  Seriously, it is like giving an antibiotic that may actually be a capsule with germs in it.  Granted, I am sure there are many examples where the patient did not have tumor growth, but non the less I would not want to risk worsening anything without clear, definite advantages to the choice.

So that’s the scoop on Essiac for now. For more information on aspects like this, check out the Dog Cancer Survival Guide.

Best,

Dr D

Leave a Comment





  1. Lauren B.Sc., ACSM EP-C on June 11, 2019 at 5:06 am

    The scientific journal article you posted referred to the treatment of mammary cancer in rats with Flor Essence detox tea not Essiac Tea. These teas are made by different companies and are entirely different formulas. Do you have any other evidence that Essiac could be causing the cancer it is treating as stated in your headline? I would love this to be clarified.

    I am an Exercisr Scientist and am familiar with using these clinical studies for or against a treatment, however there was a lack of information with this journal entry. There is not data on the rat diet other than the said name of diet. There was also no data on stress or sleep levels of the rats which if imbalanced may dramatically increase the reproduction of cancer cells.

    There are many dog owners such as mused who could potentially be scared off by misinformation being that your post is based on a tea that is not Essiac. If you could provide more information for your argument against the use of Essiac in dogs it would be greatly appreciated.
    Be well,
    Lauren.

  2. MISS C on May 31, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    OMG……….. Flor-Essence AND ESSIAC is not THE SAME FIRST OF ALL. DIFF HERBS. DONE DIFF WAYS.
    WHY DO PEOPLE WRITE THESE THINGS GETTING INFO FROM SITES ONLINE VS FACT.
    AND EVEN if it was, WHICH IT IS NOT…… IT DEPENDS ON IF THEY MADE IT OR JUST BOUGHT ONLINE!
    WHICH FORMULA.
    SO MANY FACTORS FOR THIS BS STORY WHO KNOWS NOTHING OF THE REAL BIOLOGIES OF WHAT IT EVEN DOES IN THE BODY OR WHAT EACH THING DOES IN THE BODY… I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT WHY BOTHER.
    ANOTHER BAD, MISINFORMED, not FULLY EVALUATED INFORMATION STORY OF ALL THE FACTS.

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