Mistletoe therapy

[Phyto]

http://www.abnoba.de/pi-mistel.aspx#21

I thought this link may be of interest.

[Papillon]

WOW this is interesting.

I've read that Mistletoe was the most powerful healing herb of the druids, but until now no modern herbalist had managed to find a viable use for it, or a way of using it in which it wasn't toxic (I forget which)

The Germans are way ahead of us Brits when it comes to scientifically proving the medical worth of herbs...

[Papillon]

Just had a quick trawl, and opinion differs ats to the effectiveness of Mistletoe on Cancer patients.

A detailed analysis from York university in 2003 reported:

"This well-conducted and reported review assessed the efficacy of mistletoe therapy for people with cancer. Twelve of the 23 included studies found a significant benefit from mistletoe therapy, seven showed positive trends, three found no effect, and one found a negative trend. The authors' conclusions are supported by the data they present, as is their call for further high-quality research."

http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/CRDWeb/ShowRe ... 2003000836

However in a report published in the Guardian newspaper of 21.12.04 Prize winning physician Edzard Ernst expressed doubts as to the validity of research he had seen regarding the subject, and suggested that the opposite was in fact true.

As so often in science, two different experts will tell you something different...

[Papillon]

Whoops!

Sorry, forgot to post the link of the Guardian report...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... ing.health

[Fox of the Oaks]

Here is a link I found on Mistletoe by an herbalist/astrology/chieromancer:

http://www.skyscript.co.uk/mistletoe.html

also this next link is from the 17th physician Nicholas Culpeper:

http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/66/113/21117/1.html

[Spirit Bear]

WOW this is interesting.

I've read that Mistletoe was the most powerful healing herb of the druids, but until now no modern herbalist had managed to find a viable use for it, or a way of using it in which it wasn't toxic (I forget which

In the dutch language herbalist books you can find a lot about the uses of Mistletoe. One of the best works is from the Flemish doctor Geert Verhelst " Groot handboek geneeskrachtige planten". ( Big handbook medicinal plants). This book has a long description about the history, uses etc. of Mistletoe. You can also find dried Mistletoe, mothertinctures... here in Belgium in herborist shops or pharmacies.

It was not only a powerful healing herb of the Druids, a lot of ancient scriptures talk about the benefits of mistletoe.
Hippocrates recommended it for diseases of the spleen.
Plinius described it as a cure for epileptic cramps, dizziness and convulsions. it dried up glandular tumors and made external abscesses fluid/supple.
Dodoens in the 16th century, Bother Aloysius,... all talked about the healing properties of Mistletoe.
Rober Steiner lies at the basis of using Mistletoe for cancer treatment.

In dr Verhelst's book he describes the uses of it oral, external, injections, the combinations with other plants, contra- indications...

BB