Integrative oncologists around the globe are beginning to embrace mistletoe therapy as one of the most promising alternative treatments for cancer. Cate Montana reports
Mention mistletoe, and most people think of passionate kisses in doorways during holiday parties. But how many people would be romantically inclined to kiss under something called a “dung twig”—the original meaning of the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan?
Mistletoe came to be viewed as a mystical plant that could restore mental, physical, and spiritual balance and health, and ancient medicinal uses centered on treating nervous system complaints such as epilepsy, tremors, convulsions and hysteria as well as kidney problems and heart disease.
Today, mistletoe extract therapy (aka VAE from the plant’s Latin name, Viscum album) is one of the most thoroughly studied complementary treatments in Europe.1 It’s been recognized for its powerful immunomodulatory effects and ability to activate white blood cells and other immune components essential for fighting many disease conditions, especially cancer.
Preparations made with European mistletoe (Viscum album Loranthaceae) are some of the most common prescriptions for cancer patients in Europe.2 Despite this, mistletoe as a complementary therapy and part of an integrated approach to cancer care is still in the early stages of acceptability in the UK and US.
“There are over 3,800 publications globally showing the various benefits of mistletoe, including cancer care,” says Dr Nasha Winters, ND (drnasha.com), from Durango, Colorado. “But until the powers that be in the United States call it safe, we can’t even talk about it.”
Fortunately, this situation is changing, and Winters is part of that change. “I spoke at the International Mistletoe Meeting in Germany back in 2014, and a couple months later got a call from Dr Luis Diaz, who at that time was head of oncology at Johns Hopkins.
“He said, ‘We listened to you talk in Germany, we’ve been watching you and we realize you’re not killing people using mistletoe, so we’d actually like to talk about rewriting our study involving intravenous application of mistletoe in all solid tumor types that have failed just one round of chemotherapy.’ And that got me kind of excited.”
The study monitored 21 patients with advanced and treatment-resistant cancers of various types. Finally published in February 2022, it concluded that mistletoe could be safely tolerated by cancer patients. Tumors in three participants decreased in size, and all patients reported overall improved quality of life during the treatment.3
“They got good results even though they ran uniform IV doses for every patient and only gave one form of mistletoe extract,” says Winters, “which is completely not the way any trained mistletoe provider would ever give it in a real-life situation. And it still had benefit enough that the FDA approved Phases 2 and 3 of the trial.”
Mistletoe aids cancer patients in one of two ways: physiologically and spiritually. Although most professional health providers, such as Winters, can and do emphasize the spiritual, quality-of-life advantages of mistletoe therapy above its actual physical healing properties, there are solid mechanics to demonstrate why it works.
Mistletoe is perhaps best known for prompting acute release of cytokines (small proteins important in cell signaling) and for its use as a fever therapy. Of course, these are generally regarded as pro-inflammatory effects.
However, with mistletoe administration, they’re signs of immune system activity as much as an indicator of heightened metabolism, and so the plant has direct therapeutic effects for patients with cancer.4 A non-fermented mistletoe extract, abnobaVISCUM®, induces the release of cytotoxic granules, small pouches filled with substances that kill infected or cancerous cells. It also stimulates a type of T cell that seeks out and destroys tumor cells.5
Lectins and polypeptide viscotoxins, two groups of plant proteins in mistletoe extract, have been shown to destroy tumor cells and regulate the immune system.6
As well, mistletoe extract contains carbohydrates that stimulate helper T cells and increase the activity of natural killer cells.2 It also contains flavonoids like quercetin, which is known to induce healthy apoptosis (cell death), and several triterpenes (hydrocarbons), which aid in apoptosis and keep cancers from spreading.4
“In my practice, I’ve seen how mistletoe therapy can reduce the fatigue, nausea and immune suppression that typically accompany conventional cancer treatments,” says Winters. “Patients using mistletoe often report greater vitality, fewer side effects and a better overall sense of well-being, enabling them to stay resilient throughout their treatment.
“It’s particularly promising for patients dealing with immune suppression, as it can help restore immune function without the need for additional medications that might otherwise compromise their health.”
Winters says mistletoe is also unique in that it works holistically, addressing the underlying “terrain” of the body—a foundational concept in the metabolic approach to cancer. This perspective acknowledges that our internal environment, influenced by diet, lifestyle, toxins and stress, plays a significant role in our susceptibility to disease. Mistletoe helps rebalance this terrain, she says, harmonizing the body’s natural rhythms and immune health.
Despite mistletoe’s obvious impact on various cancers, Winters emphasizes that it’s not a one-size-fits-all cancer protocol. “It’s all about the patient,” she says.
“We learn to ask, ‘Tell me about you. What’s your constitution? What’s your demeanor? What’s your ethos? Are you hot or cold, round or thin, male or female? Where is this tumor expressing in your body?’ It’s basically a homeopathic repertoire-ization process.”
Knowing the patient is only half the journey. The other half is selecting the right mistletoe extract. The plant’s phytochemical properties vary depending on when it’s harvested (summer or winter), the type of tree it grows on, where these trees grow, and the soils and climate of the region.
And then there are the processing methods. “Plant parts matter,” says Winters. “The right sequencing or titrating process, the right timing, dose, duration and combination, and the right ways to evaluate progress matter.
“When do we need to titrate it up? When do we need to find a different host tree? What delivery method should be used and when?
“IV, subcutaneous injection, intra-tumoral injection, intravenous injection? The plant and the human have a relationship, and we follow their lead on how to cultivate that relationship for mutual benefit,” she explains.
“Bottom line, we don’t treat cancer. We treat people. Yes, there are plenty of studies showing that the lectins and viscotoxins have direct cytotoxic activity on the cancer cells.
“But that’s not what I use it for. If that happens, it’s like a happy side effect. I use it to strengthen the ecosystem, to strengthen the organism, to meet the cancer in a different way.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of mistletoe therapy is how both mistletoe and cancer relate to the theme of identity. Winters points out that there are common threads with cancer patients, such as the experience of a loss of self—a loss of being in touch with who they are. Another common theme is not being seen or heard.
Interestingly, cancer has much the same identity profile. Cancer cells are regular cells that have lost the sense of who or what they are. They’ve gone rogue and no longer seem to know they belong to the body, and so they start attacking other cells.
The fact that cancer cells do belong to the body is what sometimes makes cancer so hard to detect. They pass unseen and “unheard,” undetected by the body’s own immune system, free to wreak havoc and destruction.
“Today one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer,” says Winters. “The World Health Organization suggests that by 2040 global cancer rates will double. Why?
“We’re more isolated from each other than ever. We’re more polarized and judgmental than ever. Like cancer, we’re more sociopathic, more ‘I don’t care about the whole organism’ than ever before.
“This is where mistletoe has its biggest benefit. It allows a patient to see and hear themselves in a meaningful way. When I put patients on this therapy, it’s no surprise if they suddenly walk away from jobs or relationships or friendships that no longer serve them. They start to get their sense of self back.”
One reason for this, Winters adds, is that mistletoe allows the body’s parasympathetic system to move into vagal tone so it can better receive. “Healing from cancer is an inside job,” she says.
“Mistletoe allows for that inside job to be more robust, gentle, invitational, observational. I don’t care how spot-on your treatment approach is, no one in sympathetic nervous system mode—in fight or flight—can have that therapy land appropriately and do its job.
“Mistletoe helps the body to receive information, love, healing, herbs, pharmaceuticals, surgery or radiation in a way that doesn’t cause further harm. It creates warmth and safety that make healing more possible.
“It allows space for both the patient and the body to meet themselves again, to feel cared for, nurtured, seen and reintroduced back into the tribe. And that’s really powerful.”
Mistletoe extracts (also called VAE, Viscum album extract) are water-based solutions or solutions made with water and alcohol. They can be fermented or unfermented or prepared as a highly diluted homeopathic remedy.
Every extract is categorized and labeled according to the host tree it was grown on. These are some examples:
Iscador is a fermented Viscum album L. extract labeled IscadorM, made from Malus domestica, aka apple trees.
IscadorP is made from mistletoe grown on Pinus sylvestris, aka pines.
IscadorQu is made from mistletoe grown on Quercus robur, aka oak trees.
Helixor, an unfermented aqueous extract of Viscum album L., is labeled HelixorA and grown on Picea abies, aka spruce.
HelixorM is from apple trees.
HelixorP is from pine trees.
It was long ago determined that the medicinal qualities of Viscum album vary with the type of host tree on which it feeds. In alignment with terrain theory and other alternative medical approaches, such as homeopathy, which is based on the Law of Similars, certain types of cancer energetically respond to mistletoe grown on certain types of trees.
The Law of Similars, “Like cures like,” is based on the discovery that substances that cause certain symptoms in healthy people can be used to cure similar symptoms in sick people. For example, bee venom can cause swelling, inflammation, redness and local itching. Similarly, the homeopathic remedy Apis Mellifica, made from honeybees, can ease those symptoms, allergic rashes, and even joint inflammation and swelling.
In the same way, practitioners have found that the physiological, mental and emotional natures of individual patients align with certain types of mistletoe more than others. Matching the patient with the proper extract is vital.
The following is a list of tree subspecies used for growing medicinal mistletoe as they apply to specific cancers and certain types of people.
Almond (amygdali)
Amygdali extract is best for neck and skin tumors as well as lymphoma. The amygdali patient is frequently an overachiever and may be hurt and bitter over past injustices.
Apple (mali)
Mali mistletoe extract is most effective for female reproductive cancers, abdominal tumors and lymphatic cancer. The mali patient tends to be short and overweight, possibly pear-shaped, but maintains a sufficiently athletic lifestyle. They are often perfectionistic, stoic and calm and frequently feel underappreciated, unattractive or unloved.
Ash (fraxini)
Fraxini mistletoe extract is especially potent in IV therapy and for inducing fever. It’s most often used to treat aggressive cancers with a strong tendency toward metastasis.
The fraxini patient is highly capable and seems able to handle everything. Unsurprisingly they are often subject to excess trauma outside of the cancer diagnosis itself. Fraxini mistletoe extracts are excellent for those exhausted from surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and the general taxation of life.
Birch (betulae)
Betulae extract is most often used for kidney and bladder cancers as well as melanomas. The betulae patient is generally depressed and has lost their enthusiasm for life.
Fir (abietis)
Abietis mistletoe extract has a generally lower lectin content and is considered the most gentle yet versatile VAE. It has structure and sheltering qualities and is used for patients with tumors in the sense organs and the upper body, such as the head, neck, skin and lung.
It’s also helpful for patients with prostate cancer, lymphoma and bone metastases and for those completing chemotherapy and/or radiation, especially those experiencing reduced vitality and muscle loss. Patients who cannot tolerate a VAE with a high lectin count may find it helpful.
The abietis patient is often stubborn and reclusive with a strong sense of personal responsibility. They also tend to “run cold” and have difficulty warming up.
Hawthorn (crataegus)
The crataegus extract is high in lectins, very warming and capable of inducing fever but also well tolerated by weakened patients. Used for complex and aggressive cancers, it’s not tumor-specific; its use is based on the patient’s constitution and general state.
The crataegus patient feels that their heart has not been nourished and is rather purposeless.
Linden (tiliae)
Tiliae extract is best for soft tumors, endometrial cancer, adenocarcinoma of the lung and some breast tumors. It’s warming even when other mistletoe therapies fail to sufficiently induce warmth. The tiliae patient is highly maternal, soft, social and generous.
Maple (aceris)
Aceris extract is especially useful for liver, pancreas, prostate and breast cancers. The aceris patient has generally lost the sense of personal agency and capacity for action.
Oak (quercus)
Quercus extract is useful for dense, hard tumors—often of the pancreas, rectum, gallbladder or prostate. It’s also useful for liver tumors and squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs. The quercus patient often has a strong, stoic, masculine constitution.
Pine (pini)
Pini mistletoe extract is most effective with tumors of the sense organs and neurological cancers of the brain and skin, not for cancers in organs that metabolize substances from external sources (such as in the GI tract). It’s recommended for patients experiencing reduced vitality and muscle loss or patients who can’t tolerate lectin-rich VAE.
The pini patient is lean and intense and tends to suffer from low self-esteem, guilt and self-hatred and engage in self-harm. They often suffer from respiratory issues and allergies.
Poplar (populi)
Frequently used for aggressive bladder and prostate cancers. The populi patient is often fearful, superstitious and/or exceedingly religious.
Willow (salicis)
Salicis extract is used for leukemia, myelodysplasia, and bladder, ovarian and testicular cancers. Also used for cancer prevention. The salicis patient lacks life force and has a generally negative outlook.
Helixor (helixor.com) produces Helixor, non-fermented, aqueous fresh plant extracts from two-and-a-half-year-old mistletoe shoots, leaves, stems, flowers and berries. They are harvested four times a year, once per season.
Abnoba (abnoba.de) produces abnobaVISCUM® preparations of pressed juices from mistletoe leaves, stems and berries. The mistletoes are separated by host trees and harvested in summer and winter.
Wala (walaarzneimittel.de) produces Iscucin, an aqueous extract of leaves, stems, sinkers and berries of mistletoe plants separated according to the host tree.1
Bob
Bob had Stage 4, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and scans showed continued progression. Although remissions are rare with NSCLC, he was unfamiliar with alternative healing modalities and his diet was primarily fast food and processed foods, Bob chose to stop chemotherapy and go the complementary medical route.
His primary treatment was high-dose IV vitamin C (75 g, three times per week for eight weeks) and subcutaneous mistletoe injections every other day. It was followed by IV mistletoe twice weekly for eight weeks, a cycle that was repeated twice.
In addition, he was given nutritional supplements including Boswellia, quercetin and green tea extract, and homeopathic Stibium, Plumbum, Formica and liver remedies. He had a severe cough and often coughed up blood, so he also agreed to an experimental protocol with nebulized Helleborus Niger D12 (the homeopathic remedy Christmas rose) daily for eight weeks.
His conventional oncologist supervised the treatment throughout. Six months in, PET and CT scans showed full remission by RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) standards. He was still cancer-free a year later.
Jane
Jane was diagnosed with poorly differentiated invasive ductal Stage 3 cancer in the right breast. Oncotype scores indicated an aggressive cancer that would benefit from chemotherapy. However, she didn’t tolerate chemotherapy well and ended that treatment after four cycles while continuing radiation therapy for 28 days.
Alongside conventional care, Jane was treated with Viscum Mali Series 1, building up to 50 mg subcutaneous injections administered three times per week for three years. She took pregnenolone (an endogenous steroid), calcium D-glucarate, diindolylmethane (DIM, a substance in cruciferous vegetables), vitamin D and an herbal anti-inflammatory product.
During the treatment, she also took steps to “get rid of physical and emotional clutter.” The cancer went into remission, and after three years, Jane still showed no sign of disease.
Here are some resources for finding a mistletoe therapy provider.
UK
Mistletoe Therapy UK
mistletoetherapy.org.uk
Founded by patients along with their families and friends, Mistletoe Therapy UK aims to support the availability of mistletoe therapy as part of an integrated approach to cancer care. Click on the Centres tab on the website to find a center offering mistletoe therapy near you.
US and UK
Yes to Life
yestolife.org.uk
The UK’s integrative cancer care charity has an international “Life Directory” that allows you to search for an integrative care provider or a specific therapy, including mistletoe therapy, near you.
Believe Big
believebig.org
Check out the website’s Resources section for tips on finding an integrative practitioner and a database of integrative practitioners around the world, many of whom offer mistletoe therapy. You’ll need to visit the websites listed to see whether a particular practitioner or clinic offers mistletoe therapy, or use the contact information provided.
Also see Integrative cancer care: How to find a clinic or practitioner for a list of individual clinics offering mistletoe therapy along with other integrative treatments for cancer.
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