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European Mistletoe or Viscum Album

European Mistletoe or Viscum Album has been used as a medicine since the time of Hippocrates for disorders of the heart and circulatory disorders, arthritis and even neurological disorders like epilepsy.

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Viscum album

At the turn of the 20th century Mistletoe was postulated to have anticancer effects by anthroposophy creator Rudolf Steiner. In 1916 a preparation made from mistletoe was first tested in cancer patients.

It has become a widely used complementary cancer therapy in Europe and has been studied in many clinical trials. European mistletoe is generally well-tolerated when administered under medical supervision.

A round clump of mistletoe hanging among leafy branches, photographed from below against a pale blue sky

What the research shows

European mistletoe extract is a complementary cancer therapy with a long history of use in Europe and a growing body of clinical research. It is offered at our clinic as an adjunct to, never a replacement for, the treatment plan directed by your oncology team.

Quality of life
Multiple systematic reviews have found that mistletoe therapy is associated with a meaningful improvement in quality of life for cancer patients during treatment, including energy, appetite, sleep, and pain.
Treatment tolerance
Some studies report fewer side effects when mistletoe is used alongside chemotherapy.
Survival and recurrence
Evidence here is mixed. Some analyses that pool all available studies have reported a possible survival benefit, but when only the highest-quality randomized trials are considered, that benefit is not statistically significant. We do not claim that mistletoe therapy improves survival or reduces recurrence, and encourage you to discuss your specific prognosis with your oncologist.
Mechanism
Laboratory studies show mistletoe compounds (including mistletoe lectins) can trigger cancer cell death and stimulate immune activity. These are cellular and animal-model findings that help explain how mistletoe may work. They are not, on their own, proof of clinical benefit in patients.
Safety
Reviews of clinical trials, including studies in the surgical period, have generally found mistletoe to be well tolerated, though side-effect reporting across studies has been inconsistent.
A tall tree with bare branches against a pale sky, round clumps of mistletoe growing throughout its crown

See Resources below for the studies behind these statements.

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Resources

Review Articles on European Mistletoe
  1. Kienle, G. S., & Kiene, H. (2010). Review article: Influence of Viscum album L (European mistletoe) extracts on quality of life in cancer patients: a systematic review of controlled clinical studies. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 9(2), 142–57. doi:10.1177/1534735410369673
  2. Friedel, W. E., Matthes, H., Bock, P. R., & Zänker, K. S. (2009). Systematic Evaluation of the Clinical Effects of Supportive Mistletoe Treatment within Chemo- and / or Radiotherapy Protocols and Long-Term Mistletoe Application in Nonmetastatic Colorectal Carcinoma : Multicenter , Controlled , Observational Cohort Study, 7(4), 137–145. doi:10.2310/7200.2009.0014
  3. Ostermann, T., Raak, C., & Büssing, A. (2009). Survival of cancer patients treated with mistletoe extract (Iscador): a systematic literature review. BMC Cancer, 9, 451. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-9-451
  4. Kienle, G. S., Glockmann, A., Schink, M., & Kiene, H. (2009). Viscum album L. extracts in breast and gynaecological cancers: a systematic review of clinical and preclinical research. Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR (Vol. 28). doi:10.1186/1756-9966-28-79
  5. Oei SL, Thronicke A, Schad F. "Mistletoe and Immunomodulation: Insights and Implications for Anticancer Therapies." Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019;2019:5893017.
  6. Loef M, Walach H. "Quality of life in cancer patients treated with mistletoe: a systematic review and meta-analysis." BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2020;20:227.
  7. Loef M, Paepke D, Walach H. "Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Mistletoe Extracts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2023;22.
  8. Loef M, Walach H. "Survival of Cancer Patients Treated with Non-Fermented Mistletoe Extract: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2022;21:1–15.
  9. Hofinger J, Kaesmann L, Buentzel J, Scharpenberg M, Huebner J. "Systematic assessment of the influence of quality of studies on mistletoe in cancer care on the results of a meta-analysis on overall survival." Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. 2024;150:219.
  10. Horneber M, van Ackeren G, Linde K, Rostock M. "Mistletoe therapy in oncology." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(2):CD003297.
  11. Cogo E, Elsayed M, Bhardwaj S, et al. "Mistletoe Extracts during the Oncological Perioperative Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Randomized Controlled Trials." Current Oncology. 2023;30(9):8196–8219.
Safety of European Mistletoe
  1. Steele, M. L., Axtner, J., Happe, A., Kröz, M., Matthes, H., & Schad, F. (2014). Safety of Intravenous Application of Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Preparations in Oncology: An Observational Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM, 2014, 236310. doi:10.1155/2014/236310
  2. Kienle, G. S., Grugel, R., & Kiene, H. (2011). Safety of higher dosages of Viscum album L . in animals and humans – systematic review of immune changes and safety parameters. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 11(1), 72. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-11-72
Pancreatic Cancer
  1. Tröger, W., Galun, D., Reif, M., Schumann, a, Stanković, N., & Milićević, M. (2013). Viscum album [L.] extract therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: A randomised clinical trial on overall survival. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2013.06.043
Colorectal Cancer
  1. Oniu, T., Cazacu, M., Muntean, V., Oniu, M., Mihailov, A., Lungoci, C., & Cluj-napoca, S. C. C. F. (2011). IMUNOTERAPIA CU EXTRACT DE VISCUM ALBUM ÎN TRATAMENTUL CANCERULUI COLORECTAL AVANSAT, 7(4).
Lung Cancer
  1. Bar-Sela, G., Wollner, M., Hammer, L., Agbarya, A., Dudnik, E., & Haim, N. (2013). Mistletoe as complementary treatment in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with carboplatin-based combinations: A randomised phase II study. European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990), 49(5), 1058–64. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2012.11.007
Liver Cancer
  1. Mabed, M., El-Helw, L., & Shamaa, S. (2004). Phase II study of viscum fraxini-2 in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. British Journal of Cancer, 90(1), 65–9. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6601463
Mixed Cancers
  1. Piao, B. K., Wang, Y. X., Xie, G. R., Mansmann, U., Matthes, H., Beuth, J., & Lin, H. S. (2004). Impact of complementary mistletoe extract treatment on quality of life in breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer patients. A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Anticancer Research, 24(1), 303–9. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1501561
Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma)
  1. Anticancer Res. 2019 Oct;39(10):5597-5604. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.13754.
    Bilateral Asynchronous Renal Cell Carcinoma With Lung Metastases: A Case Report of a Patient Treated Solely With High-dose Intravenous and Subcutaneous Viscum album Extract for a Second Renal Lesion.
    Reynel M1, Villegas Y2, Kiene H3, Werthmann PG3,4, Kienle GS3,4.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31570455

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Common questions

How do I book an appointment?
  1. Choose the service on our appointments page.
  2. Click the picture or name to book your appointment.

We offer both Naturopathic and Nurse Practitioner services. Please be sure to select the correct practitioner when booking. If you have any questions, please call our office at 705.586.7873.

Which practitioners can I book with?
  • Dr. Allan Price, B.Sc., ND
    Naturopathic Doctor, Medical Director
  • Dr. Tara O’Brien, H.B.Sc., ND
    Naturopathic Doctor
  • Phil Beauchamp, NP
    Nurse Practitioner
  • Dr. Megan Brousseau, HBSc, ND
    Naturopathic Doctor

Each takes bookings through their own online schedule. You can read about them on our about page, or go straight to appointments.

What happens at a first appointment?

When you visit Pure Wellness, your health care provider will complete a full assessment of your health and medical history so that any condition you are suffering from can be addressed in an appropriate manner.

When is the clinic open?
  • Monday – Thursday: 9am – 5pm
  • Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Closed

Our other practitioners have availabilities outside of these listed hours. Please visit their websites or contact them directly for more information.

Where is the clinic?

1933 Regent Street, Unit #10, Sudbury, ON P3E 5R2. We are located on the OUTSIDE of SouthRidge Mall.

Contact us for anything else.

Alongside your conventional treatment

Speak to Dr. Price

The cancer care clinic is supervised by Dr. Allan Price, B.Sc., ND, and books through his own online schedule. You can also call 705.586.7873.

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