Mistletoe (Viscum album) - Botanical Medicines

Mistletoe ( Viscum album )

As N. Bloksma reports in a 1979 issue of Immunobiology , the mechanism underlying the long-known anti-hypertensive action of mistletoe has not yet been clarified. Although mistletoe contains a large number of biologically active substances, it appears that the healing effect is not produced by any one of its components. Rather it is produced by the whole complex of biologically active substances contained in the plant.

Mistletoe is believed to function as a regulator of blood pressure, exerting a healing effect in both hypertension and hypotension. In Europe, mistletoe has often been combined with other herbs to treat hypertension. As Murray and Pizzorno emphasize, this potentially toxic herb should not be used in high dosages or for extended periods of time except under the supervision of a physician.

E. Mueller reports in a 1992 issue of Cancer, Immunology, Immunotherapy that mistletoe was first used to treat cancer in 1917. Mistletoe contains lectins, polysaccharides, and polypeptides, which researchers believe may indirectly kill cancer cells by stimulating a nonspecific immune reaction. Unlike chemotherapy drugs, mistletoe kills only cancerous cells and does not damage healthy cells. Mistletoe extracts have low toxicity, and no fatal side effects have been reported. More than 40 clinical studies have been carried out, mainly at the Lukas Klinik in Arelesheim, Switzerland, and the Ludvig Boltzmann-Institute in Austria.

Mueller adds that European mistletoe has been used at the Lukas Klinik to boost the immune system and transform cancer cells into normal cells when injected beneath the skin or taken orally. German researchers have also used a Viscum album preparation called Helixor to prolong the survival rates of patients with colorectal and liver cancer, both of which are extremely difficult to treat with chemotherapy. Mueller reports that the average one-year survival rate for Helixor-treated patients is 40.3%, compared with 6.6% for untreated control patients.

Experiments at the University of Heidelberg substantiate the ability of mistletoe extracts (ABNOB Aviscum) and pure mistletoe lectins to prevent the growth of tumor cells. Dr. O. Janssen reports in the November 1993 issue of Arzneimittel-Forschung that ABNOB Aviscum and pure mistletoe lectins administered to human tumor cell lines in vitro inhibit tumor cell growth. The mechanisms of growth arrest were due to the induction of programmed cell death (apoptosis). Janssen argues that mistletoe extracts and lectins should be further studied for their possible cytogenic effects.