Mistletoe is a semiparasitic plant that grows on some types of trees.
Mistletoe extracts are being studied as treatments for cancer.
Although four species of mistletoe grow in Europe, only the white-berried ones are used for cancer treatment. They are harvested from several deciduous hardwood trees (oak, apple, and elm), and from coniferous softwood trees (pine and fir).
The apple- and pine-grown mistletoe comes from France; and the fir-grown mistletoe, from Switzerland.
The white-berried mistletoe, Viscum album, was used as a medicinal plant in cancer by Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, in the early 1900s. He found that mistletoe supports the body’s functions, which are vital for healing processes, and therefore can strengthen the body’s defense against cancer.
By the 1920s, Ita Wegman, a Dutch physician, introduced the mistletoe preparation, Iscador, into cancer treatment. Since then, clinical experience with mistletoe preparations have yielded beneficial results.
The book, Iscador, provides information about the botanical activity of the plant, its processing into medicinal preparations, and its use in clinical applications.