Using four natural herbs, Rene Caisse was taught how to make an herbal powder by the Ojibwa nation. Caisse, a nurse working at a clinic in Haileybury, Ontario, prepared the original herbal formula as a drink which she called Essiac, her name spelled in reverse. She would go on to work as a nurse in Bracebridge, Ontario, where her work with Essiac continued to gain recognition.

Caisse continued to use the recipe in her practice, and over the years many patients sought out her clinic. Caisse signed the rights to the formula over to Resperin with the intention that Essiac would continue to be produced and distributed. As demanded for the formula increased, Essiac began shipping internationally.

Resperin transferred the rights to the formula, and Essiac Canada International continued to produce and distribute the Essiac herbal formula, using the same ratios from Caisse’s original notes.

Now family-owned, Essiac is still proudly manufactured in Canada today using the original herbs: burdock, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, and Indian rhubarb. Offered as a liquid extract, herbal powder, or as vegetable capsules, all of Essiac’s products are natural, vegan, non-GMO, and free from pesticides. With a century of history, Essiac is Canada's original herbal cleanse and continues to be a trusted health supplement today.