Mistletoe - Viscum album

Mistletoe - Viscum album

Viscum album is a species of mistletoe, the species originally so-named, and also known as European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe to distinguish it from other related species. It is native to Europe, and western and southern Asia. It belongs to the Viscaceae or mistletoe family.  All members of the family are either parasitic or hemiparasitic.

Viscum album has stems 30-100 cm long with dichotomous branching. The leaves are in opposite pairs, strap-shaped, entire, leathery textured, 2-8 cm long and 0.8-2.5 cm broad, yellowish-green in colour. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish-green, 2-3 mm diameter. The fruit is a white or yellow berry containing several seeds embedded in the very sticky, glutinous fruit pulp. The fruits are eaten by birds and the seeds must pass through the intestines of the bird before they will germinate.

Viscum album is a hemi-parasitic plant, growing on the branches of several deciduous species of trees. Sometimes it is found on coniferous trees. Contrary to popular belief it is rarely found on oak trees. The host tree must be at least 20 years old. Although the host branch might eventually succumb, the host tree is seldom killed.

The Latin word viscus as well as the Greek word ixias refer to the spermal viscosity of itsberries. These words are connected with the words visand ischu, which mean strength. Some have suggested that this dispersal method led to the name mistletoe which is composed of two Old English words, "mistel" meaning dung and "tan" meaning twig. In actuality, the origin of the word mistel remains a mystery.

The rarer oak mistletoe was greatly venerated by the ancient Celts and Germans and used as a ceremonial plant by early Europeans. The magical tradtions - From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. It was considered a bestower of life and fertility; a protectant against poison; and an aphrodisiac. 

In Celtic mythology and in Druid rituals, it was considered an antidote to poison, but contact with its berries produces a rash similar to the poison ivy rash in people who are sensitive to it (as many are), so the whole plant came to be thought of as poisonous.

The mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the ancient Celtic Druids. On the sixth night of the moon white-robed Druid priests would cut the oak mistletoe with a golden sickle. Two white bulls would be sacrificed amid prayers that the recipients of the mistletoe would prosper. 

Later, the ritual of cutting the mistletoe from the oak came symbolize the emasculation of the old King by his successor. Mistletoe was long regarded as both a sexual symbol and the "soul" of the oak. It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices, and the custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at Christmas is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions. (Mistletoe is still ceremonially plucked on mid-summer eve in some Celtic and Scandinavian countries.) 

In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches. 

It was also believed that the oak mistletoe could extinguish fire. This was associated with an earlier belief that the mistletoe itself could come to the tree during a flash of lightning. 

In parts of England and Wales farmers would give the Christmas bunch of mistletoe to the first cow that calved in the New Year. This was thought to bring good luck to the entire herd. 

In Romanian traditions, mistletoe (vasc in romanian) is considered as a source of good fortune. The medical and the supposed magical properties of the plant are still used, especially in rural areas. This custom is inherited from Dacians.

Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the dung from which the mistletoe was thought to arise was also said to have "life-giving" power. 

Mistletoe has sometimes been nick-named the "vampire plant" because it can probe beneath the tree bark to drain water and minerals, enabling it to survive during a drought (see vampirism). William Shakespeare gives it an unflattering reference in Titus Andronicus, Act II, Scene I:

In Scandinavia, mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. Mistletoe figured prominently in Norse mythology (whence the modern Western custom of kissing under bunches of it hung as holiday decorations). The god Baldur was killed with a weapon made of mistletoe. 

Nowadays, mistletoe is commonly used as a Christmas decoration. Viscum album is used in Europe whereas Phoradendron leucarpum is used in North America. According to a custom of Christmas cheer, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are obliged to kiss. The origin of this custom may be related to the story of Baldur coming back to life because of his mother Frigga (or Frigg), the goddess of love who removed the mistletoe's poison with her tears. When Baldur came back to life she kissed everyone who passed underneath the mistletoe out of happiness and gratitude and thus started the custom.

Roman sources mention that traditions of kissing under the mistletoe go back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia. They also mention that misletoe was used by the celts in some sort of fertility rite or charm making the practise of kissing under it even more intriguing. 

In some parts of England the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys and girls who have kissed under it never marry. 

Mistletoe has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat seizures, headaches, and other conditions. The leaves and young twigs are the parts used by herbalists, and it is popular in Europe, especially in Germany, for treating circulatory and respiratory system problems as well as for tumors, even malignant ones. The leafy shoots and berries of mistletoe are used to make extracts that can be taken by mouth. In Europe, mistletoe extracts are prescription drugs that are given by injection. In the United States, mistletoe by injection is available only in clinical trials. Laboratory studies have found that mistletoe kills cancer cells and stimulates the immune system. 

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscum_album
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/eurmistletoe/
http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/misc/mistleto.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistletoe
http://www.valentine.gr/christmas3_en.htm