# Essiac, Hoxsey and other 'herbal cancer cures'

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/essiac-herbal-cancer-cures/  
OnCo record `essiac-herbal-cancer-cures` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Essiac tea, Hoxsey tonic and similar herbal mixtures have been sold as cancer cures for a century. Laboratory tests and reviews by the NCI and Canadian regulators found no anticancer effect, and the clinics that sell them have never produced a controlled trial.

## Summary

Essiac (burdock, sheep sorrel, slippery elm and Indian rhubarb) was promoted by Canadian nurse Rene Caisse from the 1920s; Hoxsey's herbal tonic and pastes were sold in Texas and then Tijuana from the 1930s. Reviews of Essiac case records by the Canadian Department of Health and Welfare (1982) and of Hoxsey's records by the NCI found no evidence of benefit. Laboratory studies of Essiac show no antiproliferative effect and one found stimulation of breast cancer cell growth; no clinical trial of either product has been done. The NCI PDQ summaries conclude that there is no evidence of efficacy. The mixtures are mostly harmless as teas, but they are sold to people who may then decline surgery or chemotherapy, and the Hoxsey escharotic pastes share the hazards of black salve.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: negative
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: complementary; supportive-care; evidence:insufficient
- Principle: No demonstrated anticancer mechanism; constituent herbs have laxative and diuretic effects only.
- Strengths: Mostly inert as teas
- Limitations: No controlled evidence in a century of use; Marketed as a substitute for treatment; Escharotic versions cause burns

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essiac
- NCI PDQ: Essiac/Flor Essence: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/essiac-pdq
- NCI PDQ: Hoxsey herbal treatment: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/hoxsey-pdq

## Connected records

- fronts: [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Alternative medicine used instead of standard treatment](https://onco.cc/technologies/alternative-medicine-instead-of-treatment/), [Evidence-based integrative oncology](https://onco.cc/technologies/integrative-oncology/)
- terms: [Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets)](https://onco.cc/terms/unproven-diet-claims/)
- bottlenecks: [Misinformation and unproven therapies](https://onco.cc/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/)

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