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Underneath the Mistletoe

Each and every Christmas season we deck the halls with boughs of holly. We put up and decorate Christmas trees. We sing Christmas carols and make eggnog. We bake Christmas cookies and make peanut butter fudge. We buy, wrap and exchange gifts. We roast chestnuts. We build a snowman and name him Frosty. And we hang mistletoe, then loiter beneath it hoping for a kiss. But this plant is more than a kissing enticer. In fact, it may well one day spread more Yuletide cheer than any lip-lock can create. Mistletoe extracts are being studied to evaluate ... read more

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Each and every Christmas season we deck the halls with boughs of holly. We 
put up and decorate Christmas trees. We sing Christmas carols and make eggnog. 
We bake Christmas cookies and make peanut butter fudge. We buy, wrap and 
exchange gifts. We roast chestnuts. We build a snowman and name him Frosty.
And we hang mistletoe, then loiter beneath it hoping for a kiss. But this 
plant is more than a kissing enticer. In fact, it may well one day spread more 
Yuletide cheer than any lip-lock can create.
Mistletoe extracts are being studied to evaluate their potential to fight 
cancer, particularly breast cancer. That may sound surprising, but some of our 
global ancestors probably wouldn't be that shocked by the news. Norse mythology 
says mistletoe helped kill the sun god. Celtic Druids, meanwhile, used it as a 
medicinal herb. During the middle ages, Europeans hung mistletoe above their 
doors to ward off evil spirits and witches.
So, what exactly is mistletoe and why have various peoples attributed so much 
power to it?
An evergreen, mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant (a parasite is something 
that latches onto a "host" and feeds off it). It grows in certain trees, like 
poplar and apple trees, along with oak, beeches and chestnut. The plant produces 
waxy white berries and leathery leaves. Birds and butterflies use the plant for 
nectar.
Mistletoe grows on the trunks of the aforementioned trees, or in their 
branches. They are considered parasitic because their roots burrow into the 
trees and sap necessary nutrients. American mistletoe is found in the East, from 
New Jersey down to Florida. European mistletoe, by contrast, is a shrub that 
also produces yellow flowers along with the white berries.
It is believed that the Greeks began the tradition of kissing under the 
mistletoe. However, a berry was supposed to be plucked from the plant with each 
kiss, and the kissing was supposed to discontinue once all the berries were 
picked. Our modern traditions, of course, ignore this!
Some Europeans make mistletoe tea, which they believe improves blood 
circulation. Historically, mistletoe has been used in Europe and Asia to treat 
numerous maladies, ranging from high blood pressure, headaches and 
arthritis.
In the 1920s, some medical professionals began to express hope that mistletoe 
could help cure certain forms of cancer. According to the National Cancer 
Institute, extracts of mistletoe have been shown to kill cancer cells in 
laboratory experiments. These extracts also have stimulated immune system 
response. However, clinical trials utilizing mistletoe are not prevalent due to 
mixed results. Therefore, at least at this time, mistletoe injections have not 
been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Still, it's a safe bet that research will continue to determine whether 
mistletoe extracts can find a place in the world's fight against cancer. That's 
certainly something to think about this December when you hang the mistletoe in 
the doorway and wait for your loved one to plant that kiss!

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