• CAM-summaries
  • Alternative medical systems
  • Biologically-based practices
    • Boswellia
    • Cannabinoids
    • Essiac
      • What is Essiac?
      • How well does Essiac work?
      • Is Essiac safe?
      • Essiac conclusions
    • Galavit
    • Laetrile
    • Shark cartilage
    • Ukrain
    • Black cohosh
  • Diet & nutrition
  • Energy medicine
  • Manipulative & body-based practices
  • Mind-body medicine
• CAM systematic reviews
• CAM and the law
• Prevalence of CAM use

Essiac

This is a summary for the herbal mixture Essiac. It will provide a definition of the intervention, discuss its proposed mechanisms of action, the current evidence regarding its efficacy and safety, the prevalence of its use, as well as some of the legal issues regarding the preparation.
Essiac is promoted mostly via the internet, as an alternative cancer cure. There is no evidence from clinical trials to indicate that it is effective. The safety profile of Essiac is largely unknown but some of its ingredients are associated with considerable risks. Thus, the demonstrable benefits of Essiac do not outweigh the potential harm.