What’s the first thing you did after you found out he had cancer?

Did you know I supported my husband through a chemo-free recovery from stage-3 colon cancer using a plant-based diet?

People often ask what we did first and how our lifestyle changed. I say “we” because Akira had so much on his plate including two back-to-back international business trips. At first, all he could do was set a date for surgery.

Fortunately for him, I’ve been fascinated by health and healing all my life and I immediately mobilized! The first thing we added to his diet was Essiac tea.

Using herbal teas to support our body and its natural ability to heal is not a foreign concept in Japan where I’ve lived most of my adult life. Like many Japanese homes, I have a special teapot reserved for brewing such medicinal teas.

I first learned about Essiac tea from a book by John Robbins. Essiac tea intrigued me because burdock root is one of the 4 main ingredients. Burdock rook is a vegetable used in many Japanese recipes. It looks like a hairy, brown carrot but I love it. Akira likes to tease me because I used to cook with burdock root a lot. A LOT! One of my favorite dishes is kinpira gobo, a combination of julienne carrots and burdock root simmered in a sweet and salty sauce with a touch of sesame oil. Yum!

There is a lot of information available online about the Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, and how she discovered the herbal tea name after her (Essiac is Caisse spelled backwards). Ever since she passed away, there has been controversy over who has the original recipe and which recipe is the best.

For me, having the exact original recipe wasn’t as important as finding a way to get the tea for a reasonable price so Akira could take it long term.

In Japan, there is one brand available and sold pre-brewed in a bottle but it costs anywhere from $50-$100 for one liter or 32 ounces. This is too expensive and impossible to maintain because one bottle only lasts a few days, especially if you are taking an extra-strength dose.

Instead, we opted to buy the tea in bulk from the U.S. and brew it at home. Akira drinks it every morning and night. I drink a small glass every morning, too. A 3-4 month supply cost us $195 including international shipping.

Did Essiac tea cure Akira’s colon cancer? I’m not a doctor or trained medical professional so I cannot say for sure. I do believe the tea contributed to his recovery and we will both continue to drink it.

But wait, of all the options available, how did I know what to do? Find out how I made the decision to focus on Essiac first.