In the late 1740's, legislation was introduced in Williamsburg, Virginia, that permitted Mrs. Mary Johnson to use this plant as a treatment for cancer. In 1926, the National Cancer Institute received a recipe from Canada citing an old Indian cure for cancer using a paste made with bread and the juice of sheep sorrel, applied externally. Thus, it would appear from early literature that the sorrels were used to treat cancer. Sorrel contains a high amount of nutrients including chlorophyll. Chlorophyll closely resembles hemoglobin, the red pigment in human blood, but has at its center a magnesium atom, whereas hemoglobin has an iron atom, and both carry oxygen to every cell of the organism.
Sheep sorrel is also high in oxalic acid.
Dr. N.W. Walker tells us that the human body produces a small amount of oxalic acid every 24 hours and it is excreted through the kidneys. Dr. Edward E. Shook believes that oxalic acid is a powerful oxidizing acid that rouses the human system into activity. It readily combines with calcium to aid in its digestive assimilation and stimulates the peristaltic action of the intestines, thus helping sluggish, prolapsed intestines to regain their normal functions. Oxalic acid also seems to promote faster blood coagulation time, which makes it valuable for hemorrhages. Sheep sorrel has been known to prevent the spread of contagious diseases such as the plague and has overcome fevers caused by cholera and malaria.