In vitro analysis of the herbal compound Essiac

clinical paper · 2007

type:clinical paper

year:2007

citation:Seely D, Kennedy DA, Myers SP, Cheras PA, Lin D, Li R, Cattley T, Brent PA, Mills E, Leonard BJ. In vitro analysis of the herbal compound Essiac. Anticancer Res. 2007 Nov-Dec;27(6B):3875-82. PMID 18225545.

SUMMARY

Laboratory assays of Essiac for antioxidant, fibrinolytic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulation, cell-specific cytotoxicity, and CYP450 enzyme-inhibition activity. Found some antioxidant and immunomodulatory activity and cytotoxicity toward one ovarian-carcinoma cell line in vitro, alongside CYP450 and clot-fibrinolysis inhibition whose clinical significance the authors said remained undetermined. PMID confirmed via PubMed efetch (MEDLINE record) 2026-08-17.

NOTES

A comprehensive in vitro characterization of Essiac’s biological activity; used in this case to source the surrogate, laboratory-only nature of its positive signals (antioxidant/immune activity in a dish, not a demonstrated clinical anticancer effect) and the need for further study of the observed CYP450 enzyme and fibrinolysis inhibition.