Botany Norming Tradition Process standardisation Effects Anthroposophical Preparations Phytotherapeutic Application Studies

The importance of the host tree

In the case of anthroposophic preparations, great attention is paid to the host tree which the mistletoe has been derived from. This fact is indicated by the name of the preparation. The other mistletoe preparations are not specified according to host trees; most of them come from poplars, which frequently serve as a host tree for mistletoe.

Eight different preparations

In Germany, a total of eight different mistletoe preparations are available, five developed by Anthroposophical Medicine and three evolved from phytotherapeutic research.

Total extract

All mistletoe preparations – including those with standardized lectin content – constitute total extracts which are derived from the whole plant.

Preparations

In Germany, a total of eight different mistletoe preparations are available, five developed by Anthroposophic Medicine and three evolved from research in plant therapy (phytotherapy). The anthroposophic preparations areabnobaVISCUM, Helixor, Iscador, Iscucin and Isorel, which is only approved in Austria, but is also available in Germany. Cefalektin, Eurixor and Lektinol are phytotherapeutic preparations.

All mistletoe preparations constitute total extracts from the whole plant. Eurixor and Lektinol have a standardised mistletoe lectin content.

All preparations are produced using standardised production processes ("process standardisation") in order to ensure that the content of mistletoe substances remains as consistent as possible.

Anthroposophic and phytotherapeutic approaches differ in terms of production processes and the application of mistletoe extracts:

For mistletoe used in anthroposophic preparations, the host tree constitutes a defining factor. The name of the preparation indicates which tree the extract was derived from. The letter M stands for “malus”“ (lat. = apple tree, P for ”pinus“ (lat. = pine), A for ”abies“ (lat. = fir), Qu for ”quercus“ (lat. = oak), these being the host trees which play the most important role in mistletoe therapy. Summer and winter harvests as well as female and male plants are collected separately and processed in different ways depending on the production firm involved and subsequently mixed. The extracts are administered in series of increasing dosages depending on the reaction of the patient. Thus, mistletoe therapy using anthroposophic preparations is very individualised and does not comply with any general standards.

The other preparations do not differ in terms of host tree or harvest season. They are administered according to a consistent scheme.

Mistletoe preparations are approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Germany.

At a glance

Anthroposophical mistletoe preparations differ from others in terms of production and application. Anthroposophical mistletoe preparations are always distinguished from one another in terms of the host tree from which the substance is derived. Three mistletoe extracts are standardised in terms of a certain mistletoe lectin content or total mistletoe lectin.