Sheep Sorrel belongs to the buckwheat family, and grows wild throughout most of the world. It seeks open pastures, rocky areas, and the shoulders of country roads. It is considered to be a common weed throughout the U.S.
Sheep sorrel was considered the most active herb in essiac for stimulating cellular regeneration, detoxification and cleansing, based on reports by Rene Caisse and her doctor colleague Dr. Charles Brusch. The two did studies with mice bearing abnormal growths on the original eight herb formula at the Cambridge Medical Research center a couple of decades ago.
A side benefit is that sheep sorrel contains significant levels of phytoestrogens similar to the isoflavone phytoestrogens common to red clover, licorice and soy. These phytoestrogens are known for their health promoting properties.
Sheep sorrel has no known side effects in the doses recommended for eight herb essiac tea.Now that you've read about Sheep Sorrel, click here to see the other essiac tea ingredients.