Essiac tea has an interesting history dating back to the early 1920’s in Canada. Rene Cassie was a nurse who, following the advice from an old Native American Indian medicine man, formulated a tea that she dispensed from a cancer clinic in Ontario. She had support from the medical profession, in particular Dr Frederick Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin. Essiac tea has become widely known for its remarkable ability to boost the immune system and detoxify the body. I have followed the original recipe and used Burdock root, which is an effective blood purifier that neutralizes and eliminates poisons from the body. Sheep Sorrel contains a natural substance that research has shown to have significant anti-leukemic activity. Slippery Elm is well known for its soothing and healing properties and Turkey rhubarb root has been shown in research to have anti-tumor activity. It is diuretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. In blending the organic herbs to the original Essiac recipe I have used the milled root to enable you to make the tea as an infusion rather than boiling it as a decoction. (*See original boiling directions below) That means you can make my blend by adding a teaspoon of the herbs to a teapot and pouring over boiling water. It makes it very easy to manage. Milling the roots does not detract from the potency so you can be assured that the organic herbs used in the Essiac tea you purchase are just as potent whether boiled as a decoction or brewed as an infusion. (An infusion is what you make when you put a tea bag in a cup with hot water) This tends to extract vitamins and volatile oils from leaves and flowers. A decoction is used to extract these components from hard materials such as roots, bark or seeds by boiling and then allowing herbs to steep for several hours. Original directions: Do not use an aluminium pot or unfiltered, chlorinated water. Add 15gms (1 tabs) of herbs to 1.5 litres of pure spring water. Boil for 10 mins, then steep for 12 hours (overnight). Heat up the tea to steaming, bot boiling (Do not boil twice). Strain the tea into hot sterilized jars and allow to cool. Refrigerate once it has cooled. Filter through a fine sieve. the Slippery Elm gives the tea a slight viscous consistency when poured. If you do not notice the "slippery" consistency after refrigerating your tea, you may be using a sieve that is too fine. Herb particles in your Essiac tea will settle to the bottom of the jar and the pulp can be used for healing poultices. Some people drink the dregs, some give it to their pets as a health food. Drink 30ml of herb tea diluted in 30 or 60ml of water, taken first thing in the morning and at bedtime. Not: Essiac tea is a mild colon cleanser. Nurse Cassie’s story is well worth looking up as she had support from some very eminent medical people. Ingredients: Burdock root, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm powder & Turkey rhubarb. Please note: 100 gm packets.