Mistletoe

It blooms in March and April. The flowers are unisexual, the fruits are sticky, juicy, and soft. The plant was named 'mistletoe' because the sticky substance in these fruits is used in traps prepared to catch birds called 'mistletoe'.

Druids and other Pagan nations in Northern Europe lived in ancient times; Due to the fact that mistletoe was wrapped in oak trees, they had great respect for the plant. The peculiarity of the plant growing on trees rather than in soil has made it interesting among various peoples. In pagan belief, it is believed that mistletoe protects people from evil spirits and evil. Since then, this respect for mistletoe has turned into a Christian tradition of hanging mistletoe at the door entrances at Christmas. At the same time, the sprouts of the plant symbolize hospitality.

The considerable reputation of mistletoe does not end there. It is an herb that has been used by various peoples and cultures in healing since ancient times. At the beginning of the 20th century (1861-1925), Australian medical doctor Rudolf Steiner extracted extracts of mistletoe that could be injected into patients and used these extracts on cancer patients, thus enabling mistletoe to take its place in research in cancer treatment and modern scientific world.

From the mistletoe plant; Mistletoe tea, mistletoe oil, mistletoe extract, and mistletoe tincture are produced. In addition, it has entered the content of a wide variety of drugs with the richness of toxic polypeptides, lectins, flavones, biogenic amines, phenylpropane derivatives, and lignans in its content.

Mistletoe, which is dried under suitable conditions, has a lifespan of 1 year when stored in a closed container in a dim, cool and dry environment.

[1] Fitoterapi_Prof.Dr.Bayhan Çubukçu,Prof.Dr.Ali H.Meriçli, Prof.Dr.Afife Mat,Prof.Dr.Günay Sarıyar, Prof.Dr.Nurhayat Sütlüpınar, Prof.Dr. Filiz Meriçli_(s168)