Historical Background of Flor-Essence Tea

Flor Essence - A Remarkable Inheritance

From native tradition to the realm of modern herbal dietary supplementation, few natural health formulas can share such a worthy lineage:


Rene Cassie, R.N. Dr. Charles Brusch, M.D.	Elaine Alexander

Historical Background
Possibly the world's greatest herbal discovery was found in the small town of Haileybury in northern Ontario. One night in 1922, at the hospital there, the head nurse, Rene Caisse, was making her rounds. She met an elderly lady patient dying of old age who was being given a bath. Rene noticed an unusual marking on her breast and spoke to her about it. The woman told her the following story:

In the early 1890's she had come from England to be with her prospector husband in northern Ontario, and one day she noticed a lump in her breast. They were worried, so her husband spoke to the medicine man of the local Ojibway tribe, with whom he had made friends. The medicine man suggested that the wife drink the tea that the Indians used for their own people.

Being skeptical, they decided instead to travel by foot, canoe and horse, to the general hospital in Toronto, 500 miles to the south, to find out what the problem was. Once at the hospital, their worst fears were confirmed. She did have the serious problem they suspected. As usual the only recommended solution available was surgery. Keep in mind that this was 1892. There were no other solutions.

Rene persuaded the woman to pass the Indian remedy on to her. She was given the names of 8 different herbs, which Rene wrote down on a piece of paper and put it in her pocket. She didn't think of it anymore until 2 years later, when her aunt had been diagnosed with a major stomach growth. Her liver was involved too, and the specialists had given up hope. Rene and her aunt's physician, Dr. Arnold Fisher, decided to try the tea.

Rene gathered the herbs from the wild, or bought them from a supply house, brewed the tea, and gave it to her aunt while the doctor monitored. Her aunt's health turned around in two months and she was declared free of the health challenge in every area of her body a year later. She lived for another 20 years.

After this, Rene and Dr. Fisher started experimenting with the recipe, as researchers will do, to make it the best it could be. They wanted to find out which herb was the most effective, by injecting the individual herbs into the muscle tissue. During this process they also discovered that certain of the herbs needed to be taken orally to assist the cleansing activity. This led to the development of a four-herb formula, which always was administered as one herb by injection and three by mouth.

Over the next few decades, more and more people found out about the tea, and more and more seriously challenged patients were being sent to Rene's clinic for help. Some of them did not survive, but many others did, living another 15 to 20 years after the doctors had declared them terminal.

During these early years, the remedy, came to the attention of the medical authorities. Twice Rene was almost arrested for practicing medicine without a license. However, when the authorities with the arrest warrants understood what she was doing, and that she was not charging for her services, they went away without serving the warrants.

Rene also went to the Passavant hospital in Chicago where she treated and helped 30 terminal people. The doctors who monitored her work there concluded that Rene's solution prolonged life, relieved pain, and broke down abnormal masses of tissue.Many petitions were signed, one of them even garnering 55,000 names. She had support from people in all walks of life.

Nevertheless, in the end Rene's work was officially stopped by the Canadian government in 1942. The Commission which looked at Rene's product refused to approve her remedy without full disclosure of the ingredients, and Rene was fearful of her remedy either disappearing or being changed if she disclosed it. She had kept the formula secret, and therefore was no longer permitted to help people.In 1958, she formed a partnership with Dr. Charles Brusch of Cambridge, MA. He had been the personal physician to President John F. Kennedy.

Dr. Brusch was a well-known and very respected physician, with degrees in surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, and psychiatry. He was known for his open mindedness about other treatment modalities, and for his use of them in his clinic. When Rene and Dr. Brusch began their partnership, he knew she had begun with eight herbs, and he also knew that the Indians did not know about injections, so they perfected the formula by bringing it as close as they could to the original 8 herbs with which she had started in 1922. The partners worked on the blend to make it as synergistically active as possible, so it could all be taken orally just as the Indians had originally used it.

In 1978 Rene Caisse passed away at the age of 91, leaving the full eight-herb formula they had developed, worked on, and perfected to her partner Dr. Charles Brusch.In 1984, Dr. Brusch was interviewed by a long-time radio producer and broadcaster, Elaine Alexander, who broadcast out of Vancouver, Canada. Elaine aired programs on many controversial alternative methods, including a couple on this herbal tea.

The listener response to the programs on the tea, from people suffering with some major health challenges, was massive. Over the next 2 years, seven 2-hour programs were produced covering every aspect of this incredible tea. Elaine and Dr. Brusch became friends. He was impressed by her long research of the subject, and her genuine interest. In 1988, they legally became partners, deciding to try to get this herbal formulation out to the public as a tea rather than as a medicine.

The great demand created for this tea persuaded Elaine to look for an herbal company with integrity to manufacture and distribute it for her. In 1992 she was introduced to Flora Manufacturing & Distributing Ltd., and signed a contract with them. Flora was well recognized and respected for their stringent quality standards and state-of-the-art technology. The manufacturing facility is certified by Quality Assurance International, a third party organic certification agency. Flora also has contracts with organic growers who supply the highest quality herbs, which are guaranteed for purity and potency.

At this time many varieties of the four herbs formula were emerging on the market, so to avoid confusion, the final formula, as developed and expanded by Rene and Dr. Brusch was named Flor*Essence. This eight herb Flor*Essence tea is available through most fine health food stores in North America, as well as in many countries around the world.

The Science of Flor Essence
Research has shown that persons taking this tea experience many positive results. A literature review conducted by the University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research (UT-CAM) identified 107 references on the principal herbs used in Flor Essence. Participants in the University of Texas survey reported feeling and coping better, with increased energy.

Recent clinical research conducted with the Russian Ministry of Health revealed that Flor Essence helps support the immune system. A study conducted by the University of British Columbia in Canada found Flor Essence to possess powerful antioxidant properties.

The Flor Essence Herbal Tea Blend

The Flor Essence Herbal Tea Blend has been used extensively for over 100 years and for a variety of purposes. Flor Essence consists of eight premium quality herbs that work synergistically to create a unique and powerful dietary supplement.

	Burdock root has special properties to help reduce cell mutations. Active ingredients include 45% inulin, essential oils, vitamins and a broad array of minerals. Traditional Chinese medicine considers burdock root to be strengthening and cleansing.
	Sheep Sorrel provides oxygen to tissue at the cellular level. It also provides strong immune support. Sheep sorrel has a long history of traditional use as an astringent, diuretic and laxative.
	Slippery Elm bark helps soothe the digestive tract because it contains large amounts of mucilage. This bark is especially noted for soothing inflammatory irritation.
	Turkish Rhubarb root helps detoxify the bowel, cleanse the liver and fight abnormal cell division. Also helps to normalize bowel movements and is considered a safe and effective laxative.
	Red Clover Research shows that red clover helps to combat microbes that could cause problems. It is a blood purifier that facilitates the elimination of toxins and waste through the skin, kidneys and bowels.
	Blessed Thistle helps digestion by increasing the flow of gastric juices, thereby helping to relieve dyspepsia, indigestion and the headaches associated with liver congestion.
	Kelp contains an abundance of minerals. This marine plant is a great source of iodine, which helps regulate energy levels. The alginates found in kelp have many beneficial effects, the most important of which is gathering and removing heavy metals from the body.
	Watercress is a rich source of chlorophyll, vitamins A and C, and many minerals, including iodine. It has been used traditionally as a detoxicant and restorative.

How much to take?

Flor Essence can be purchased ready-made or be prepared at home. Take as bottled or as a tea by diluting the amount listed below with an equal or double amount of hot or cold water. Use spring or distilled water when preparing. Sip slowly.

Adults: Take 2 ounces of Flor Essence twice daily.

Children: (4 and up): Give 1 ounce of Flor Essence twice daily.

Note: Take on an empty stomach, 1 /2 hour before any meal, and at bedtime. After opening, keep refrigerated and consume within 3 weeks.

Conclusion
FloroEssence is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, cleansing and detoxifying right down to the cellular level. Regular attentiveness to health on a daily basis can slow down the clock that never ceases to tick.

Optimal health and vibrant energy are key for a long, happy life. No matter how old you are, you can now feel younger and more energetic.

Recommended reading for more information:

1. Leo Roy, MD. "Alive Magazine: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition.
Burnaby: Canadian Health Reform Products Ltd., 2000: #209 March, pp 23-26.

2. Harvey Diamond. "The 7 Stages of Disease." Alive Magazine: Canadian Journal of Health and
Nutrition. Burnaby: Canadian Health Reform Products Ltd., 1999: #198 April, pp 20-21.

3. Itigina et al. Ministry of Health for the Russian Federation Moscow Regional Research Clinical
Institute (unpublished), 1998.

4. Richardson, M.A.(Ph.D), Tina Ramirez, Carmen Tamayo (MD), Carrie Perez, Palmer. J. Lynn
(Ph.D). "FloroEssence Herbal Tonic Use in North America: A Profile of General Consumers."
The University of Texas Centre for Alternative Medicine Research, Centre for
Health Promotion Research and Development: Houston, 1998. www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/utcam/

5. Suzanne Diamond, Carmen Tamayo, M.A. Richardson and Inga Skoda. "The Chemistry and Biological Activity of Herbs used in FloroEssence TM Herbal Tonic and Essiac TM. "
Phytotherapy Research: Vol. 14, p. 1-14, 2000.