Mistletoe

White Mistletoe: Properties and Applications

Mistletoe is a perennial evergreen plant that belongs to the family Limeaceae and has a height of 20 to 120 cm. This plant is a parasite and its roots penetrate under the bark and wood of the host. Mistletoe is common in the southern regions of the European part of Russia and grows as a parasite on deciduous and, less commonly, coniferous trees.

The branches are woody, jointed, bare, and easily break at the nodes. The leaves are pale green, opposite, leathery, oblong, narrowed towards the base, with parallel veins, located in pairs at the ends of the branches. Blooms in March - April. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish-green, crowded at the ends of the shoots. The fruit is a false spherical single-seeded berry that turns white when ripe. The seed is large, covered with slimy pulp. Ripens in September - October.

Mistletoe contains many useful substances, such as carbohydrates, organic acids (lactic, isovaleric, caproic, etc.), triterpenoids, rubber, steroids, cardenolides, triterpene saponins, polypeptides, vitamins C and E, phenols, phenol carbonic acids, tannins , flavonoids, higher fatty acids (pelargonic, capric, linoleic, etc.) and diclotols (quercite, inositol, etc.).

Mistletoe is used in cooking as a seasoning for meat and to improve appetite. The fruits are used to make plaster. Young twigs and leaves serve as medicinal raw materials. They are harvested in late autumn or winter. Dry in a dryer or oven. Store in a closed container for 1 year.

Preparations of branches with leaves are used for atherosclerosis, inflammatory kidney diseases, chronic inflammation of the uterus, leucorrhoea, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon, pancreatic disease, seizures in children, sciatica, bronchial asthma, neuralgia, bedwetting, nodular varicose veins and with trophic ulcers of the extremities.

Mistletoe lowers blood pressure, enhances heart activity, dilates blood vessels and reduces the excitability of the central nervous system. It also has immunomodulatory properties and can increase the body's protective functions. Mistletoe is used in traditional medicine as a tonic and to improve vision.

Mistletoe is a popular plant in landscape design due to its decorative value and beautiful berries. It can be grown as a garden plant or as a hedge.

However, it should be remembered that mistletoe is a poisonous plant. All parts of the plant except the berries contain toxins such as alkaloids and glycosides, which can cause poisoning if consumed in large quantities. Therefore, when using mistletoe in cooking and medicine, you must be careful and follow the recommendations of specialists.

Mistletoe is a plant that is used in folk medicine as a medicine. It contains many useful substances such as oleic acid, tannins and glucosides.

In Russia, mistletoe is produced in several regions, but the main production occurs in the Kaluga and Moscow regions. According to the data,