Today mistletoe is mostly known as a Christmas decoration and an excuse to get kisses. Long before mistletoe developed that use, it was used as a medicinal herb. It is usually made into a tea and is useful in treating cramps, glandular problems, and sluggish metabolism. It helps regulate blood pressure. It aids hardening arteries and other circulatory problems. In Europe and Asia, mistletoe is often used in treating cancer. It is useful in treating depression also. It can reduce stress and tension. An irregular heartbeat can be helped with mistletoe tea. A compress made with mistletoe tea can be used to sooth varicose veins. Ulcers and sterility are also treated with mistletoe.

Caution: mistletoe can be poisonous if used incorrectly or prepared improperly, so it is best to buy it already prepared as a tea or capsules rather than trying to make your own.   Also, the mistletoe used medicinally is usually the European type which is less toxic than it's American cousin.

    Mistletoe was also believed to have magical properties by the Druids and others and used to protect one from lightning, fires and other misfortunes. Hunters carried a bit in their pocket for luck in hunting and women carried it as an aid in conception. Placed near the bedroom door or under the pillow, it was said to aid sleep. Originally, the reason mistletoe was tied in a place like over a door was not to make in convenient for kissing, but because it was considered bad luck to let it touch the ground.