Rene Caisse was a Canadian nurse who treated all types of cancer patients from 1922 until 1978 with great success using an herbal tea she named Essiac.® For over 80 years it has been the subject of great use, hope and,... great controversy. 

More than Twenty five years ago a well known magazine published an article about Rene and Essiac® that has become more profound in it's truth than any one could have guessed at that time, I quote here from that articule. "There is a tragic and shameful irony in the Essiac tale. In the beginning a simple herbal recipe was freely shared by an Indian who understood that the blessings of the Creator belong to all. In the hands of more sophisticated and allegedly more civilized healers, it was made the focus of an ugly struggle for ownership and power." 

I'm a Naturopathic and Ayurvedic doctor, these fields of medicine specialize in natural non-invasive medicine that includes the use of herbal medicines.  I'm one of the oldest surviving successful open heart surgery patients  from the 1950's.  I have been around medicine, allopathic and alternative all my life which has given me unique perspectives. I have a profound appreciation and belief in all forms of medicine having seen all forms profoundly heal. 

Since 1988 I have researched Rene's life and work in great detail and with great devotion to the facts of her herbal remedy in my own clinical use and private medical practice. I have personally been drinking the remedy for over 18 years and have worked with thousands of personal clients. From start to finish I have grown, harvested, dryed, milled and hand prepared the remedy. I have been writing articules about Essiac and educateing professionals and the public in it's use since 1988.

Because even today there is still great conflicting controversies about this remedy that includes inaccurate herbal formula, preperation and dosage information I'm compelled to continue to educate the public about Essiac. 18 years ago I was the only one on the internet educating the public about Essiac, today you will find thousands of on line articules and sellers of the remedy, some are accurate and some are not.

So how does one seperate the wheat from the chaff so to speak? Due to my long personal and professional experience with Rene's remedy I'm one of the few uniquely qualified to bring clearity to the fantastic story of Rene Cassie and her herbal cancer remedy. I hope this information about Rene and Essiac is helpful to you. It is based in part on my book,  "A sacred bridge to health". I wish for us all blessings of love, peace and health. 
                                           
                                              *Rene's Story*

Rene Caisse was a Canadian nurse who treated all types of cancer patients with an herbal tea she  named Essiac® her name spelled backwards, from 1922 until her death in 1978 at the age of 90. Rene discovered this remedy through a patient in the hospital where she worked. The patient claimed she was cured of breast cancer years earlier with an herbal tea given to her by an Ojibway Indian. This patient gave Rene the recipe which consisted of sheep sorrel, burdock root and slippery elm bark. Rene tucked this information away and a year later found use for it when her own aunt was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Rene brewed the herbs into a tea and had her aunt drink it. To every ones amazement she recovered from the illness which they of course credited to the tea. This was Rene's first direct experience with the remedy.

It was now 1922, Rene was 33 years old. She was so moved by the experience with her aunt that she eventually quit her job at the hospital and moved to Bracebridge Ontario, Canada where she opened a compassionate care clinic and began  administering Essiac® to all who came to her. 

Rene never charged for her services. To many Rene was an angel. After Rene's passing her biographer, Dr. Gary L. Glum, wrote and appropriately named the book detailing her true life story, "Calling Of An Angel".

The majority of people Rene treated were with the permission of doctors and under their supervision. Patients were referred to Rene with letters from physicians certifying they had incurable or terminal forms of cancer and they had been given up by the medical profession as untreatable.

Rene would gather the herb plants, dry, mill and mix them together then brew the herbs into a tea. Patients would then drink this tea. 

In cases where patients came to Rene with severe damage to life support organs these patients usually passed away although under Rene's care they usually lived far longer than predicted and many of them pain free! Those diagnosed terminal, but without severe damage to their life support organs often recovered fully.

For more than 50 years Rene tried to get the medical establishment to license Essiac as an approved treatment and cure for cancer without success.

People often ask why Rene didn't market the remedy as a simple health tea? The answer is, Rene was a nurse and part of the medical establishment, she wanted the remedy to be accepted as an approved medical "treatment for cancer" as well as a preventative.  In this way she knew that Essiac could reach the maximum amount of people with pre - exsisting medical conditions and also be used as a preventative against cancer. If Essiac had been accepted by the medical community during Rene's time it would have been a revolutionary step in treating cancer and in it's prevention, just as it would be today.

So we beg the question why wasn't Essiac medically approved? For the protection of the public approved medical treatments must first meet and pass a series of guidelines for safety and effectiveness by the FDA. Hopefully, treatments of value aren't delayed more than necessary. Case in point, penicillin. Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin but it sat on his shelf for 12 years before it was accepted and used while in his words, "he was called a quack". Rene had already compleated many years of clinical trails, she wanted Essiac to be accepted on the evidence of her own research and for her to be able to have a say in it's use. The medical community said give us the formula and we will test it and decide. Rene refused to relinquish control of the remedy so, there remained a standoff  for 55 years between Rene and the medical community accepting and using Essiac as a treatment and preventative for cancer. 

Eventually the Canadian ministry of health, welfare and the parliament became involved. 55,000 friends, doctors, patients and grateful families petitioned for Rene Caisse's right to administer her remedy to anyone who wanted it, without interference from authorities.

In 1939 Rene's research and evidence was presented and examined by the Canadian goverment. Out of the 59 voteing members Rene's remedy came within three votes of being legalized by the Ontario government as a treatment and cure for cancer. Rene found out years later the vote fell short due to politics. This is not a fairy tale story, these facts are all matters of public record. Though often harrassed and threatened with arrest for practicing medicine without a license as Rene was not a doctor still, Rene continued to treat people up until the end of her life. 
 
Many private individuals and institutions wanted Essiac but of course they also wanted to own and control the remedy. Rene was totally opposed to that. We also have to consider the times, the range of emotions, admiration, skepticism and jealousy  within the medical community. Rene was only a nurse yet she was accomplishing something unique in the treatment of cancer that no one else was.
We have to ask the question, if Essiac was a hoax why did so many insitutions, private individuals and the medical community continuously try to gain ownership of the remedy? How could a hoax end up before the Canadian parliment for a vote on legalization as a cancer cure and why did some of the most famous and prominent physicians of the time themselves indorse the use of the remedy? The answer is of course that Essiac was not a fraud but a medical blessing. It has been under the scrutiny of the medical community and in use since 1922 and in all these years no one has ever been able to prove that it does not work, there are only stories and proof that it does work.     

Rene did perform clinical experiments with the herbs and delivery methods. At one point she tried intermuscular injection of the herbs. Although she seemed to get quicker results she also found there could be serious and dangerous side affects with this method so she discontinued that approach. It is advised to never ever use this remedy in any other way than orally.  All said and done after years of clinical trials Rene basically had the same recipe she started out with, Just a simple herb tea.

                         Is there proof the remedy works?

 As a matter of public record Rene did clinical trials with many eminent physicians of the time including Dr. R.O. Fisher of Toronto, Canada and Dr. Charles Brusch who was a personal physician to President J.F.K. and head of the Brusch medical clinic in Massachusetts. Rene was invited by and worked with Dr. Brusch from 1959 to 1962 and reportedly cured his own cancer with Essiac. Dr. Brusch worked with the presidential cancer commission and the national cancer institute. After 10 years of his own research he presented his findings supporting Essiac as a cure for cancer. Essiac was also found to be a good preventative as substantiated by Dr. Albert Schatz of temple university who discovered the cure for tuberculosis. Dr. Chester Stock of Sloan-Kettering in New York found the sheep sorrel herb was responsible for the destruction of cancer cells or their amalgamation where metastasized cancer cells actually would return to the original tumor site. Rene retained the clinical X-rays and pathological proof of all her results. Her work was scrutinized by many including Dr. W.C. Arnold who was sent to investigate her work by the department of health and welfare out of Ottawa.  Dr. Arnold was so impressed he ended up arranging for Rene to do clinical trials on mice at the Christie street hospital laboratories in Toronto along with Doctors Norich and Lockhead from 1928 to 1930. Those mice were inoculated with Rous Sarcoma and kept alive 52 days longer than ever previously done, and in later experiments 72 days longer.

Dr. Richard Leonardo a surgical specialist and a coroner for Rochester, NY., scoffed at the idea of her work. Rene challenged him stateing, the only way to prove anything is to remain in the clinic and observe the results. Dr. Leonardo took up that challenge, he stayed in Rene's clinic four days and observed treatments, pathology reports and talked with patients, at the end of those four days he stated to Rene, "Young lady, I must congratulate you, you have made a wonderful discovery. I like your method of treatment, I feel it will change the whole theory of cancer treatment and will eventually do away with surgery, radium and X-ray treatments for cancer". He went so far as to offer to establish and equip a hospital in Rochester if Rene would move there and work with him. Dr. John Wolfer of the alumni association of Northwestern University at Chicago made her a similar offer if she would move to Chicago. Dr. Emma Carson of California spent June and July of 1937 at the Bracebridge clinic studying the treatments and results of 400 patients. Dr. Carson was very impressed with what she saw and stated as much in her August 12th, 1937 report that was published.  The list of eminent physicians who worked directly with or personally observed Rene's work is a long and impressive.

Dr. Frederick Banting of the Banting Institute and the University of Toronto who co-discovered Insulin was so impressed with Rene's work he suggested she make application to the university for facilities to do furthur research. He even offered to share his laboratory and work with Rene as she had clinical cases where some diabetics did not need insulin once on Essiac and this interested Dr. Banting. No one knew why but apparently in some cases Essiac regulated the pancreas of diabetics and they would become insulin-free. However, in making application to the university Rene would have had to give them the complete formula. As usual Rene would not relinquish control of the remedy so, she turned down that offer just as she had all the others. As we can see Rene was very protective and very concerned that others would try to control or exploit the remedy solely for personal gain. When she let others test Essiac she would give them the liquid tea already made or a sample of one of the 4 herbs used in the remedy. Subsequently, outside of a small circle of friends and peers sworn to secrecy about the formula recipe, it remained a secret. 

Over the years many companies and private individuals offered Rene large sums of money for the remedy but Rene refused them all. The one single theme that was constant through the 55 years that Rene worked with the remedy was her unwillingness to give up control of it. Rene often said if the medical community would admit it had efficacy based on her own trials she would give up the formula but, she never did, not until she was 89 years old. In retrospect it seems that Rene fell victim to her fear of others controlling it by herself controlling it.

                                     * Ownership Controversy* 

At 89 years old Rene was persuaded to turn over to the Resperin company of Canada the recipe for Essiac® along with trademark rights to the use of the name. Upon signing the contract with Resperin on October 26, 1977, Rene received the sum of one dollar and then $250.00 a week for the six months Resperin agreed to conduct tests on Essiac®.

Resperin of Canada contends they have the "proprietary" rights to the "original" recipe of Essiac®, while others claim they also have the rights. There is also controversy as to what actually is the "original" recipe? Some say it's 3 to 8 herbs. From the historical information it appears the original recipe given freely to Rene consisted of 3 herbs; sheep sorrel, burdock root, and slippery elm bark and that some time later Rene added turkey rhubarb root. It's my experience the remedy works with or without the forth herb. 

The original October 26, 1977 contract between Rene and Resperin has both Rene and Dr. Brusch, (a signing witness) and a member of the board of directors of Resperin at that time stating that Rene had never revealed or given her recipe to any other person. It furthur states no other person had knowledge of the specifics of the recipe or it's treatment.

Well, one can see how the statement in that contract alone has fueled controversy as it's a known fact that years prior to the signing of that contract Rene had in fact given copies of her recipes to a number of people including Mary Mcphearson her closest friend, Dr. Brusch himself and other doctors and friends.

Dr. Brusch himself worked with Rene in his Boston clinic from 1959 to 1962 and claimed to have helped her refine the delivery method plus did 10 years of his own research so he had the formula. Rene stated that she was also leaving the recipe to others in her will. Why would she do this? The answer is simple, so after she passed away no one company or person could maintain absolute control over it as this was her greatest fear.

Today there are hundreds of different outlets for the remedy, some claim they are the only one's with the real thing. Thus we see a power struggle for money over a few common herbs that grow wild, gifted by nature. What we see happening today is exactly why Rene maintained control over it for more than 50 years.     

There are questions about Essiac that may never be known as Rene passed away a year after signing that contract. On December 26, 1978 at the age of 90 Nurse Rene Caisse passed away.

                    *Dr. Gary L. Glum, Rene's biographer*

After Rene's passing Essiac® was greatly forgotten about. You could not acquire it unless one applied for admission into Resperin's test program in Canada through a doctor. What was originally to be an initial six month test program continued for several years until 1982 at which time the test program was shut down by the Canadian goverment the tests being sited as "flawed". One could still apply to Resperin for Essiac® but it was not available to the general public from them at all and anyone else who had the recipe was unwilling to give it up to the public.

There are three key pivotal times in the Essiac® story. The first being when the Ojibway medicine man gave the recipe to the woman with cancer. The second when that woman gave the recipe to Rene. The third was with the release of the authentic Caisse recipe revealed in "Calling Of An Angel", the first exhaustively investigated biography of Rene by Dr. Gary L. Glum.

Dr. Glum was and is a very well respected chiropractor and now investigative writer whose clients included professional and olympic athletes. He developed a new technique for the healing of injured muscles and pain relief and taught it in places like the Baptist Orthopedic Hospital in Nashville Tn. Dr. Glum was known for his talent and integrity and did not know anything about Rene  or Essiac® until 1985. It was at that time Dr. Glum became close friends with an elderly woman who had known Rene personally. This woman liked and trusted Gary and told him about her personal experience of being cured of cancer by her good friend Rene Caisse. Eventually she gave Gary the detailed recipe that saved her, the recipe given to her by Rene. Dr. Glum was so moved that he begain an exhaustive investigation into Rene's life and work that culminated into him writing Rene's incredible biography, "Calling of an angel".

Dr. Glum wanted to verify the accuracy of the recipe he had been given so he started by going to Canada and having personal interviews with Mary Mcphearson. He knew Mary had the formula as she was Rene's closest friend who had worked with Rene making the remedy for 30 years. In fact Rene had cured both Mary and her husband Cliff of cancer and Mary swore an oath of secreacy to Rene on her death bed never to reveal the formula to anyone. Mary agreed to meet with Dr. Glum but she told him straight away that if he was going to try to get the formula from her that he was wasting his time. He agreed he would not ask her to give him the formula and so Gary went to Canada to meet with Mary. One night while they were at dinner together out of the blue Gary recited to Mary the list of herbs that made up the remedy. Her first reaction said it all, on her face was the look of total shock than she snapped at him, " how did you get that?" to which Gary explained his story to Mary. Her shock soon turned into releif, happy that someone finally had it without her having to brake her promise to Rene. She now relaxed and as they talked on into the evening Mary confirmed the accuracy of the formula that Gary had. Mary came to trust Gary and eventually handed over to him suitecases full of Rene's personal research records and documents that no one had seen since Rene gave them to Mary to safeguard. 

Dr. Glum made more trips to Canada interviewing former patients, friends, colleagues and relatives of Rene's. He had personal meetings with Dr. Brusch and his wife Jane at their home in Massachusetts where he gave to Gary his own records involving Essiac®. Eventually Rene's biography emerged titled, "Calling Of An Angel", "the true story of Rene Caisse and an indian herbal medicine called -Essiac- nature's cure for cancer."

With the release of Rene's biography Dr. Glum also gave up the secret recipe to the public for free. He believed by giving it up to the public then no one person or company could control it and all could benefit from it. To my knowledge Gary is the first person  possessing an authentic Rene Caisse recipe to give it up into the public domain. A good deal of the information and recipes out there today have their roots in "Calling Of An Angel". 

Dr. Gary L. Glum, thank you! You have done a great service to the memory of Rene and to your fellow man.

                                    *I get involved*

I had a health food store and alternative center in the late 1980's where we were known for our custom medicinal tea blends and health counseling. It's at that time I became aquainted with Dr. Glum. We shared a mutual interest in alternative medicine and Rene Caisse resulting in a friendship that has produced long conversations over the years about Rene's life and work. Gary was very open and gracious in his willingness to share his knowledge about Rene and also gave to me a copy of Rene's remedy. I don't know why but something clicked in me about Rene and I also became swept up with devotion to Rene and her life's work. Eventually I started my own personal investigation into Rene's life and work with Essiac while also useing the remedy in my own personal life and practice. My involvment includes personally growing and processing the herbs, clinical use of the tea with thousands of clients, editing and clarifying the original directions and Lecturing to professionals and the public on the history of Rene and the practical use of Essiac. What started out an interest has ended up being my life's work.

                                         * In Summary*

Over the years since Rene's passing there has been much debate as to what constitutes the correct formula and the unending claims of ownership to the remedy. Be it professional or layman none of the debates center around,...does Essiac work"?  For the answer to that question just look to it's 80 year history.  

If we look past all the hoopla the Essiac story though long and interesting is very simple and here it is in a nutshell. 

The original herb recipe given to Rene consisted of sheep sorrel, burdock root and slippery elm bark, all herbs that were indigenous to the area and used by the Ojibway Indians. Rene added turkey rhubarb root as a blood purifier at a later date but for many years she used the original 3 herbs with just as much success, just as the Indians had before her.  Rene played around with deliverey methods and doses but in the end Rene had her patients take it orally just as the Indians before her did. Rene basically had the same product she started out with but because of her efforts an compassion this healing medicine that might have remained unknown to the world indefinitly has became known world wide. So, the original, original was the first 3 herbs, the remedy works with or without the rhubarb rt. Anyone who acquires these herbs and mixes them together in proper ratio and brews them into a tea will have the same herb tea remedy that unknown Indian gave away freely over 100 years ago that became known as. ESSIAC. 

Rene's work has affected the lives of thousands of people. Though she has passed from this earth the blessings of this angel continue through the legacy of the remedy and the lesson of compassion and selfless service she displayed to the world.

For more information please contact me directly. Sincerely, Dr. Vijayan Wzorek. N.D., D.A.y