Today I discuss the benefits of mistletoe on one’s fertility.
Well, it’s that time of year again. It is time to decorate our homes for the holidays. We hang wreaths and stockings. We put up the lights on the exterior of the home. We may even put up some mistletoe.
Kissing under the mistletoe was described in 1820 by American author Washington Irving in his book, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, “The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”
You may have already heard about the legend of kissing under the mistletoe, but did you know that mistletoe extract has also been used since ancient times to treat many ailments, including infertility? According to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, “Mistletoe is one of the most widely studied complementary and alternative medicine therapies in people with cancer. In certain European countries, preparations made from European mistletoe are among the most prescribed drugs for patients with cancer.” “It has been used for centuries to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy, hypertension, headaches, menopausal symptoms, infertility, arthritis, and rheumatism.”
Mistletoe has a reputation for being festive, but it is also poisonous! So, please do not eat the mistletoe. Although we do not use mistletoe to treat infertility in modern medicine, the next time you find yourself under the mistletoe, let it spark some romance. May the mistletoe lead to curing your infertility the old fashioned way!
Happy Holidays and remember: MISTLETOE IS NOT SAFE TO EAT.
Source: National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Lowell T. Ku, M.D. is an award winning and leading Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist at Dallas IVF, one the nation’s premiere infertility centers. Doctor Ku clarifies the many confusing terms used in the world of Infertility using straightforward explanations.
