This time of year you are likely to see white-berried sprigs hanging in a lot of doorways, beckoning those who need an excuse to “kiss under the mistletoe”. The ancient Druids used misteltoe for medicinal purposes and now there’s discussion about mistletoe as an anti-cancer treatment.

Over at WebMD, there’s an article about the use of mistletoe as an anti-cancer treatment which cites a report in the BMJ by British doctors. The report doesn’t support its use for this purpose, stating that the studies on mistletoe have been “methodologically weak”.

The National Cancer Institute has an information page regarding mistletoe extracts and their possible use in cancer treatment. In laboratory tests, mistletoe extract killed cancer cells and some studies indicates it supports the immune system. It may also decrease the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

In Europe mistletoe extract has been used for many years to treat everything from epilepsy to menopause symptoms as well as a cancer treatment, most notably in Germany. But mistletoe is not approved for sale or use for any medical condition in the US.