About (European) Mistletoe Monograph

A mistletoe monograph for the home

Latin Name: Viscum album

Common Names: European mistletoe, mistletoe

This fact sheet provides basic information about European mistletoe—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information.

Source: https://nccih.nih.gov/

Basics Research Results Dosing Safety Wildcrafting References PubMed

Mistletoe Basics

European mistletoe grows on several types of common trees such as apple, oak, pine, and elm trees. Where the term “mistletoe” is used in this fact sheet, it refers to European mistletoe. European mistletoe is different from American mistletoe, the type of mistletoe that grows in the United States and is used as a holiday decoration.
Mistletoe has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for a variety of conditions including seizures, headaches, and arthritis. Today, mistletoe is used in Europe as a treatment for cancer.
The berries, leaves, and stems of mistletoe are used to make extracts, which are usually given by injection under the skin. Mistletoe may also be taken orally (by mouth) as a dietary supplement. In Europe, mistletoe extracts that are given by injection are sold as prescription drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the use of mistletoe as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition. In the United States, the use of injectable mistletoe extracts is permitted only in clinical trials.

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Mistletoe in Health Resarch

Although mistletoe has been studied for cancer, its effects are not well understood because much of the research on it has been of poor quality.

Mistletoe Research Summary

There have been clinical trials of mistletoe for cancer, mostly in Europe. Although some trials indicated that mistletoe improved survival or quality of life, almost all of the trials had major weaknesses that raise doubts about their findings. These weaknesses have included small numbers of patients, incomplete data, lack of information about the dose of mistletoe, and problems with the design of the studies.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Cancer Institute have completed a preliminary trial to evaluate the safety of injected European mistletoe extract in combination with a cancer drug in patients with advanced cancer. It showed that patients could tolerate the herb/drug combination and provided other information that may be helpful in the design of future studies to evaluate mistletoe’s effectiveness.
Mistletoe is not a proven cancer treatment. It should not be used outside of clinical trials.

Mistletoe Safety

Mistletoe berries and leaves can cause serious harmful effects when taken orally.
Injected mistletoe extract may cause soreness and inflammation at the injection site, headache, fever, and chills. Serious side effects are rare, but a few severe allergic reactions have been reported.

Mistletoe References

European mistletoe. Natural Medicines Web site. Accessed at naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/ on April 14, 2015. [Database subscription].
Horneber M, Bueschel G, Huber R, et al. Mistletoe therapy in oncology. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(2):CD003297 [edited 2010].
Mansky PJ, Wallerstedt DB, Sannes TS, et al. NCCAM/NCI Phase I study of mistletoe extract and gemcitabine in patients with advanced solid tumors. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;2013:964592.
National Cancer Institute. Mistletoe Extracts (PDQ). National Cancer Institute Web site. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/mistletoe/patient on April 14, 2015.

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PubMed Articles About

Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; [1988] – [cited 2018 Apr 5]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Garima, S., Ajit Kumar, P., Marcy, DM., Sakthivel, R., Bhim Pratap, S., Nachimuthu Senthil, K., (2021) Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the management of cancer and diabetes.

To conduct an ethnobotanical survey and document the traditional anticancer and antidiabetic plants used by the local tribes of Mizoram, Northeast India.

Chen, Y., Qin, J., Tao, L., Liu, Z., Huang, J., Liu, W., Xu, Y., Tang, Q., Liu, Y., Chen, Z., Chen, S., Liang, S., Chen, C., Xie, J., Liu, J., Chen, L., Tao, J., (2023) Effects of Tai Chi Chuan on Cognitive Function in Adults 60 Years or Older With Type 2 Diabetes and Mild Cognitive Impairment in China: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Physical activity benefits cognition, but no evidence from randomized clinical trials has shown whether tai chi chuan has better long-term benefits than fitness walking in cognitive function for patients with T2D and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Borse, SP., Chhipa, AS., Sharma, V., Singh, DP., Nivsarkar, M., (2024) Management of Type 2 Diabetes: Current Strategies, Unfocussed Aspects, Challenges, and Alternatives.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) accounts for >90% of the cases of diabetes in adults. Resistance to insulin action is the major cause that leads to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. T2DM is the consequence of activation of multiple pathways and factors involved in insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Also, the etiology of T2DM involves the complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors. This interplay can be governed efficiently by lifestyle modifications to achieve better management of diabetes. The present review aims at discussing the major factors involved in the development of T2DM that remain unfocussed during the anti-diabetic therapy. The review also focuses on lifestyle modifications that are warranted for the successful management of T2DM. In addition, it attempts to explain flaws in current strategies to combat diabetes. The employability of phytoconstituents as multitargeting molecules and their potential use as effective therapeutic adjuvants to first line hypoglycemic agents to prevent side effects caused by the synthetic drugs are also discussed.

Zhang, Z., Zhang, L., Xu, H., (2020) Effect of Astragalus polysaccharide in treatment of diabetes mellitus: a narrative review.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic endocrine/metabolism disease characterized by hyperglycemia arising from defects in insulin action, insulin secretion, or both. Diabetes mellitus is often complicated by visceral lesions, which can lead to serious complications and death. A variety of new agents are in development for the treatment of the disease. Astragalus polysaccharides are monomer components extracted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huangqi (Radix Astragali Mongolici), which have been studied widely for treating diabetes mellitus with promising effects in recent years. This paper reviews recent advances in experimental studies on the effects of Astragalus polysaccharides in treating diabetes mellitus. The effects of Astragalus polysaccharides on the etiology and complication of diabetes mellitus including insulin resistance and secretion, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, diabetic foot, and infection complicated by diabetes mellitus are discussed.

Chen, YK., Liu, TT., Teia, FKF., Xie, MZ., (2023) Exploring the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the potential of Traditional Chinese Medicine: an overview of the literature.

Obesity and diabetes are closely related metabolic disorders that have become major public health concerns worldwide. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of these disorders and identified various risk factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been increasingly recognized for its potential to manage obesity and diabetes. Weight loss is difficult to sustain, and several diabetic therapies, such as sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and insulin, might make it harder to lose weight. While lifestyle changes should be the primary approach for people interested in lowering weight, drugs are also worth investigating. Since some of the newer glucose-lowering medications that cause weight loss, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), are additionally utilized or are under consideration for use as anti-obesity drugs, the frontier between glucose-lowering medication and weight loss drugs appears to be shifting. This review provides an overview of the literature on the underlying mechanisms of obesity and diabetes and the prospect of TCM in their management. We discuss the various TCM interventions, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and dietary therapy, and their effects on metabolic health. We also highlight the potential of TCM in regulating gut microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving insulin sensitivity. The findings suggest that TCM may provide a promising approach to preventing and managing obesity and diabetes. However, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of TCM interventions and to elucidate their underlying mechanisms of action.

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