Gwent Wildlife Trust
Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Gwent

Thursday 1st December was National Mistletoe Day, so what better time to consider the unusual role this plant plays in our lives and the threats it faces in the modern world. Mistletoe is one of Britain's best-known, but least understood plants and at Christmas time we all look forward to, or brace ourselves for ‘a kiss under the mistletoe’.

But, it’s at this time of year that mistletoe is most under threat. Mistletoe used to be very common throughout the old county of Monmouthshire, and was fairly common in Torfaen and Newport, especially in orchards, hedgerows and ancient trees. However, due to its commercial value, mistletoe is ‘rustled’ – that is stolen – and sold to unwitting members of the public. But, it’s not only at Christmas time that mistletoe is threatened. It is also being lost through pruning from the trees where it grows, trees containing mistletoe may be cut down on building sites or for new roads, and the removal of farm hedgerows and orchards has also led to it being less widespread.

Mistletoe got its name in the second century from the Anglo Saxon Mistle (=dung) and Tan (=twig). It is a parasitic plant of trees, particularly hardwoods like oak and apple, and it is easy to spot in winter because its leaves stay green all year round. The latin name Viscum album refers to the berries which are white (album) and these contain a sticky viscous fluid (Viscum). It spreads via birds, especially flocks of winter thrushes, who eat the berries and in turn deposit their seed-rich droppings as they move from tree to tree. The birds also help spread the seed by wiping their beaks on the tree bark to clean off the sticky seeds after they've eaten.

Mistletoe is familiar to everyone at Christmas time, but it also has a history deeply embedded in ancient lore. The Druids believed that it could perform miracles, from providing fertility to humans and animals to healing diseases and protecting people from witchcraft. They would cut mistletoe off oak trees in a special ceremony following the winter solstice. Priests gave out the mistletoe sprigs to the people, who believed they would then be kept safe from evil spirits and storms. They also saw it as a sexual symbol, because of the consistency and color of the berry juice.

So, why do we kiss under the mistletoe? This tradition could have come from either the Viking association of the plant with Frigga, the goddess of love, or from the ancient belief that mistletoe enhances fertility. The correct mistletoe etiquette is for a man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there is no more kissing underneath that plant. It is believed that an unmarried woman not kissed under the mistletoe will remain single for another year.

Mistletoe also has reputed medicinal powers and these can be traced back to the fifth century BC. It has been used to treat hypertension and osteoarthritis. Together with blackthorn it was used to strengthen the "tired", weakened heart. It was also used for attacks of dizziness, epileptic states and as an ointment for sores and festering wounds. More recently, laboratory studies have suggested that mistletoe may enhance the activity of the immune system so that it releases more of the chemicals that damage cancer cells. But, is also a poison and eating mistletoe can cause severe stomach cramps and diahorraea, and in some cases can be fatal.

So, mistletoe is valuable to us for many reasons: it provides the opportunity for a ‘snog’ at Christmas, it’s a traditional, but diminishing part of the countryside, it’s berries help birds survive the winters when other food is scarce and it may prove to be a very important medicine

If you have lots of mistletoe on your land or in your area, your local Authority ecologist would like to know. And, if you would like to know more about how to protect mistletoe, Gwent Wildlife Trust or your local authority biodiversity officer can provide you with a leaflet that covers all the facts.

Mistletoe fact sheet