Mistletoe
In this article, Ace talks about the toxicity and folklore of a common holiday plant.
Embedded Files
Mistletoe
Mistletoe
By Ace Case
By Ace Case
Mistletoe is not an uncommon plant to see in homes during the holidays. Though it sometimes comes in the form of plastic and is used year to year, which may be safer, the tradition's origins stay the same, whether the leaves and berries are organic or not. Many may not know of the plant's folklore, but it is all over the place in terms of location and period. It can also be dangerous, depending on the type you get your hands on.
There are two main types of mistletoe: coming from North America, Phoradendron flavescens, and Europe, a Viscus album. The name comes from the old English word mistiltan and, while I could not find the meaning of the first part of the word, ‘tan’ means ‘twig.’ Other names for mistletoe, both European and American, include birdlime mistletoe, Herbe de la Croix, Mystyldene, and Lingnum Crucis. Finally, for the similarities between the European and American varieties, all mistletoe are hemiparasites. This means, as Fort Worth Botanic Garden puts it, “they use photosynthesis to draw some of their energy from the sun. They also attach themselves to the stems of trees and draw nutrients from the branches.” Despite many similarities, the main types of mistletoe sold for Christmas time are different. European mistletoe has oval-shaped leaves with smooth edges and two to six dense clusters of white berries. American mistletoe has short, broader leaves and clusters of ten berries. The Greeks used sticky covering on Viscum Album seeds for medicinal purposes, as did the Romans for ailments like epilepsy, ulcers, or even as a poison antidote.
Mistletoe is a plant with possibly the most abundant folklore, from Rome to Greece and Scandinavia to Romania. The most popular ancient myth comes from Iceland in their Norse mythology. In the Norse Myth, Balder the Beautiful had dreams about his death, so his mother, Frigg, goddess and love and beauty, attended a god council and persuaded the other gods to deem Balder invulnerable. Only Loki, the god of mischief, disagreed. He appeared to Frigg as an old woman, and Frigg was tricked into telling him of a plant called mistletoe that was too young to swear to not hurt Balder. Loki found the mistletoe and brought it to the assembly of gods, where he found the blind god, Holter. After some convincing, Holter threw the plant at Balder. The Australian National Herbarium describes that “The mistletoe struck Balder and pierced him through and through, and he fell down dead.” Some versions go on to describe his body being burned on a funeral pyre, while others say Frigg convinced the other gods to bring him back. Either way, the god council made a mistletoe promise to never do an uncharitable deed again, “but would forever be consecrated to acts of happiness and usefulness.” Frigg was given the task to help uphold this pledge, and thus the mistletoe tradition began. Of course, many stories contribute to the modern-day tradition, like in Scandinavia. It is said that, if enemies found themselves under mistletoe, they would lay down their weapons for a single-day truce. In a Roman epic poem, The Aeneid, the hero, Aeneas, was said to have used a golden branch of mistletoe to enter their underworld to speak to his father’s ghost. In Romanian traditions, it is said to bring good fortune. Celtic mythology says mistletoe was cut with a golden sickle and would lose all its magical properties should it touch the ground. It may have been confused with the holly, which is also incredibly sacred to the druids. Mistletoe bears fruit during the winter solstice and birth of the new year, and it may have been used as a druidic symbol of immortality. Another possible origin for today's tradition may have come from that of Greece, where it was believed to grant fertility and was a prominent symbol in the winter festivals of Yule and Saturnalia. Women in the middle ages also believed it would increase fertility and would wrap the plant around their wrists and waists. By the 1800s, it was a well-established myth that, if a woman caught under mistletoe did not give the kiss, then she would receive no marriage proposals for the next year. Finally, there was a period in time when the Christian church banned mistletoe for its connections to the Druids and its supposed magical protection from evil.
Along with differences in appearance, European and American mistletoe are also different in toxicity. American mistletoe contains phoratoxin, which is not too incredibly dangerous and is likely to cause a couple of gastrointestinal symptoms if consumed in larger amounts. European mistletoe, however, contains various viscotoxins. Viscotoxins are “A member of a group of small proteins produced by mistletoe plants that are able to kill cells and may stimulate the immune system,” as the National Cancer Institute explains. European mistletoe can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms but, unlike American mistletoe, can also cause central nervous system damage, delirium, kidney and liver failure, bradycardia, blurred vision, and death. However, death from mistletoe is rare and is most often deadly when infused in a tea.
An illustration of the chemical structure of Phoratoxin from PubChem
From myths of parental love so great that it transcends realms to a truce during times of conflict, there is a lot to mistletoe’s history. Uncommonly used as a medicine in ancient times, mistletoe, as most medicines, is still toxic. If you are so compelled to eat the pretty plant you hang in your doorway instead of keeping it there, just make sure the leaves are short and broad, and the berries are in larger clusters. Or just make sure you do not put it in tea. Or just do not eat it at all.
Page updated
Report abuse