Essiac?

My aunt (Dad's sister) is in to alternative medicine. She just sent my dad a big bottle of Essiac, an herbal infusion that purports to help people with cancer reduce tumor size.
Obviously I will not encourage my dad to take it until we talk to his doctors. I am nervous about interactions. I don't think it's FDA approved. Anyone heard of this stuff?
I am pretty wary.

 

On 11/18/2008 rabelcheth wrote:

My aunt (Dad's sister) is in to alternative medicine. She just sent my dad a big bottle of Essiac, an herbal infusion that purports to help people with cancer reduce tumor size.
Obviously I will not encourage my dad to take it until we talk to his doctors. I am nervous about interactions. I don't think it's FDA approved. Anyone heard of this stuff?
I am pretty wary.

dear rabelcheth,

i have a friend who's been drinking Essiac tea for the last two years and just found out he has stage IV cancer.  however, just because it do much for him doesn't mean it wouldn't help someone else.  it does not seem to have any negative interactions or side effects, so if you can afford it, why not?  just don't count on it to do anything.  have you heard of IP-6?  go to the M.D.Anderson website, there's a page devoted to it under nutrition.  now that might be worth trying. 

A good place to check if herbs and vitamins will interact with chemo is Memorial Sloane Kettering's website.  Put "about herbs" in the search and it will pull up the info.

Thanks. I checked the MSK site. I think we will wait and talk to his doc, though. He also has diabetes, and although he was never insulin dependent before GBM dx, his is now. I want to make sure it won't affect the insulin intake.