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Essiac/Flor Essence (PDQ®)

Health Professional Version
Last Modified: 01/11/2012

Adverse Effects

Nausea and vomiting are the only reported adverse effects associated with the use of Essiac. Reviewed in [1] The manufacturer of Flor Essence states that users may experience increased bowel movements, frequent urination, swollen glands, skin blemishes, flu-like symptoms, or slight headaches.[2]

References

  1. Herbal treatments. In: US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment.: Unconventional Cancer Treatments. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990. OTA-H-405, pp 71-5. Also available online. 1 Last accessed January 11, 2012. 

  2. Flora Flor•Essence®. Burnaby, Canada: Flora Manufacturing & Distributing Ltd. Available online. 2 Last accessed January 11, 2012. 





Glossary Terms

adverse effect (AD-vers eh-FEKT)
An unexpected medical problem that happens during treatment with a drug or other therapy. Adverse effects do not have to be caused by the drug or therapy, and they may be mild, moderate, or severe. Also called adverse event.
Essiac (EH-see-ak)
An herbal tea mixture that contains burdock root, Indian rhubarb root, sheep sorrel, and slippery elm bark. It has been claimed to remove toxins from the body, make the immune system stronger, relieve pain, control diabetes, treat AIDS, reduce tumor size, increase cancer survival, and improve quality of life. No clinical trial using Essiac in humans has been reported in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal, and the FDA has not approved the use of Essiac for the treatment of any medical conditions.
nausea (NAW-zee-uh)
A feeling of sickness or discomfort in the stomach that may come with an urge to vomit. Nausea is a side effect of some types of cancer therapy.
vomit (VAH-mit)
To eject some or all of the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

Table of Links

1http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk2/1990/9044_n.html
2http://www.florahealth.com/product_categories_usa.cfm