Mistletoe, a magic herb for lowering blood pressure

What is mistletoe(Hu Ji Sheng)?
First off, this is a common name that covers a lot of obligate hemiparasitic plants; secondarily, it involves in several families in the order Santalales. That’s to say, mistletoe plant refers to a group of plants instead of a specific plant. It is characterized by attacking and getting into the branches of other trees with the haustorium and then stealing nutrients and water from the host plants. Medicinally, the species Viscum album is thought to be the best source. So, we are going to focus on Viscum album thereinafter.

When used as medicine, it mainly refers to the dried leaves and young twigs of Viscum album subsp. coloratum Kom. This is a member in the family Santalaceae and native to southern Asia, western Asia, and Europe. However, it is often viewed as another distinct species of Viscum coloratum (Kom) Nakai by the Flora of China. Hence, other names of it include mistletoe, common mistletoe, mistle (Old English), European mistletoe, and more. It is usually harvested during winter and the following spring. After that, it needs to remove thick stem, cut into segments, and then dry or dry after steamed.

Mistletoe benefits
In ancient times, it was once considered a magic herb that could protect home from evil spirits by hanging mistletoe on the wall. Today it is not only a popular Christmas decoration, but also a promising medicinal plant for lowering blood pressure and treatment of common illnesses seen in senior citizens or even cancer.

Interestingly enough, Britons believe that kissing someone under mistletoe tree during Christmas time will bring him with good luck. This custom is originated from the United Kingdom. But actually it has long been popular in Germany too. From November, the branches of this evergreen shrub can be used as decorative Advent or Christmas decorations. What you need to do is just to collect a few of them and tie them up with a wide-brimmed arch with red and white stripes.

Besides, the history of mistletoe tells us even more. According to mistletoe traditions, regarded as a talisman it can be used to bring good fortune and increase fertility; hanging mistletoe in the room can help prevent bad luck and resist witchcraft while hanging it at the door can stop the witch from entering your house; it was once deemed to be a "panacea" by some tribes in Africa, who believed wearing mistletoe would protect them from injuring in the battlefield; Austrians put it on the threshold in order to prevent nightmares; the British will hang it as ornaments on Christmas eve and place it under the pillow for dream divination; Swedes use it as a dowsing rod to looking for gold mines; in the area neighboring Austria and Italy borders, a saying that mistletoe makes people invisible has been circulating.