What is Mistletoe?
Mistletoe is much more than just a holiday decoration! Scientifically known as Viscum album, mistletoe is a plant that grows on several types of trees in England, Europe, and western Asia. This plant has certainly been in the news lately, especially since Hollywood actress Suzanne Somers announced last year that she was using this herbal remedy as a treatment for her breast cancer. Iscador, the trade name of the most commonly available brand – a European species of mistletoe, is not the same mistletoe found in the United States. The parts of the plant used in herbal How is Mistletoe used? It is claimed that mistletoe stimulates the immune system, helping the body fight diseases. Mistletoe products have been in widespread use, particularly in Europe, for many, many years. Commission E (Germany’s equivalent of our FDA) has approved mistletoe to be used to help treat some of the side effects of cancer therapy. It has not, however, been approved as a cure for cancer. An extract, made from
Mistletoe is a parasite that grows in certain trees (apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and birch, for example). Mistletoe can actually suck the life out of the trees that it lives on. But extracts from this “nuisance” plant have proven to kill cancer cells as well as to boost the human immune system. Do not go out and grab yourself a handful of mistletoe to eat, though. The cute little white berries of the mistletoe plant are very poisonous. Obtaining a mistletoe extract is a multistep process that is best left to professionals. Mistletoe extracts can be purchased at health food stores; but actually in medical trials and studies, the mistletoe extract is administered by injection or intravenously. Several groups of compounds have been shown to contribute to the medicinal action of mistletoe. Most notable are mistletoe lectins (also called viscotoxins), choline derivatives, alkaloids, polypeptides, and polysaccharides. The lectins, peptides, and polysaccharides have shown immune-stimulating
As well as being used by herbalists, who use the parts to treat respiratory and circulatory problems, among other maladies, mistletoe has always had myths and traditions attached to it. It has been known as a symbol of fertility, an aphrodisiac, and currently a reason to kiss someone around Christmas time. Mistletoe is a hemiparasite, or partial parasite. Like other parasitic plants, mistletoe grows on the trunk or branches of a tree and gets its nutrients by sending out roots that penetrate into the tree. Unlike other parasitic plants, mistletoe is also able to grow on its own and produce its food by photosynthesis. Although mistletoe is capable of surviving as a parasitic plant or on its own, it is more often found growing at least partially parasitically. Mistletoe exists in two main forms. Phoradendron flavescens, the mistletoe most often used as a Christmas decoration, grows as a parasitic plant on trees down the East Coast of the United States. Viscum album, the other kind of mis
Mistletoe is a semiparasitic plant that grows on several types of trees, including apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and birch. It has been used for centuries to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy, hypertension, headaches, menopausal symptoms, infertility, arthritis, and rheumatism. In certain European countries, products made from European mistletoe are among the most prescribed therapies for cancer patients. These products are made and sold under brand names including: Iscador (also called Iscar). Eurixor. Helixor. Isorel (also called Vysorel). Iscucin. Lektinol (also called Plenosol). ABNOBAviscum. This summary discusses research done mainly with this mistletoe species. The chemical makeup of mistletoe products varies, depending on many factors, including: The type of host tree on which the mistletoe plant grows. The time of year the plant is harvested. The species of mistletoe. Whether the extract is fermented or unfermented. Whether the extract is prepared with homeopathic meth
