Common Name: Mistletoe, Birdlime, All-Heal, Golden Bough- The common name “mistletoe” is derived from a blend of Old English and Old High German roots, reflecting the linguistic transition of Anglo Saxons. The first component, mistel, has an uncertain origin; it may refer to either the herb basil or animal dung. The second root, tan, translates to “twig.” This peculiar combination—”dung-twig”—is believed to arise from the observation that mistletoe often sprouts from the droppings of birds perched on tree branches.
Scientific Name: Phoradendron serotinum – The genus is a combination of the Greek words phor, meaning thief, and dendron, meaning tree. Mistletoes are parasites, stealing nutrients from trees, and are therefore tree-thieves. Serotinous means “coming late” from the Latin word serotinus. This is likely to refer to the appearance of mistletoe in tree branches long after the tree from which it sprouts became established. Synonymous with P. leucarpum, from leuk karpos meaning “white fruit” in Greek. Mistletoe has sticky white drupes, which are incorrectly called berries. Drupes have a pit or stone in the center in lieu of the embedded seeds of true berries. [1]
Potpourri: The suspension of a bough of mistletoe over a doorway to elicit a kiss is one of the more esoteric and enduring of Christmas traditions. The annual celebration of Christ Mass started as a religious holiday (holy day) that was placed on the calendar close to the winter solstice (21-22 December) by the nascent Catholic Church to take advantage of the extant feasting and reveling of the Roman Saturnalia (17 December). The German tradition of the Christmas tree became established in 19th Century Victorian England as an unintended consequence of the accession of the German prince-elector of Hannover to the throne as King George I. [2] Saint Nicholas became the reindeer sleigh-riding Santa Claus due to the popularity of Clement Moore’s poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” caricatured as a white-bearded, portly cherub introduced by the German-American editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast. Presents are the gifts of the Magi; “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was created by Montgomery Ward, a department store, so that people would buy more gifts as part of the business of Christmas business comprising about one fifth of annual retail sales.
The earliest documented reference to the mistletoe kiss tradition dates to 1740, when a poem, describing three men kissing a young woman, “not turn’d of twenty,” under a sprig of mistletoe was written. Although this account may appear somewhat risqué by modern me-too standards, it provides historical context for a custom that is believed to be much older. The precise origins of the practice remain uncertain, but it is commonly thought to have begun when a bold young man—possibly a servant—initiated the act as a way to publicly show affection toward a virtuous woman, circumventing the social constraints of the era. In America, the tradition evolved with fewer restrictions. In 1820, Washington Irving, wrote that each mistletoe berry represented a kiss, and that a man’s opportunity for kissing continued until all the berries had been plucked. [3] This enthusiasm is evident in modern festivities. The official United States National Mistletoe—measuring 600 pounds and 10 feet in diameter—is located at Anthem Row near Chinatown in Washington, DC. It was the venue for an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous kisses induced by mistletoe’s mysterious power. The nation’s capital now holds the record with 1,435 couples, besting the previous record set by Anheuser-Busch at a 2019 beer festival promotion in Saint Louis by almost a thousand. [4] Virginia is for lovers, Maryland is for crabs, and DC is for mistletoe.
For thousands of years, mistletoe has played a significant role in religious ceremonies in Europe. The Druids, who were priest-like sages of the Celtic tribes that originally inhabited the British Isles, used it extensively for spiritual purposes. While this is speculative since Druids left no written account, their practices have survived as oral history. A first century CE account by the Roman historian Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as Pliny the Elder, provides one of the earliest written descriptions of Druidic ceremonies involving mistletoe. Pliny wrote that, to the Druids “nothing [was] more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree that bears it.” He described a ritual in which a priest, clad in white robes, climbed an oak tree and carefully cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle. The ceremony was consummated by the sacrifice of two white bulls. [5] The mistletoe collected during such sacred rites was believed to impart magical powers that protected its possessor from evil. To share these blessings, acolytes would carry mistletoe branches from house to house at the beginning of the new year, offering them as annual tokens meant to promote health and prosperity. It is plausible that these ancient customs laid the foundation for the later use of mistletoe as a Christmas decoration [6].
Mistletoe also played an important role in Norse Mythology. Baldur or Baldr, the god of light, was the son of the principal god Odin and his wife the goddess Frigg. Much like Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology, Baldur was universally loved—except by Loki, the mischievous trickster god.. Baldur’s troubles began when he was plagued by ominous dreams, which he shared with his mother, Frigg. In a protective effort, Frigg sought out every entity in the world, from the elements of fire and water to every living thing, extracting promises from each that they would never harm her son. However, Loki, using deception disguised as an old woman, approached Frigg and inquired if she had overlooked anything. Frigg admitted that she had not secured an oath from mistletoe, believing it was too young and insignificant to pose any danger. Seizing on this oversight, Loki collected mistletoe and fashioned its woody branches into a spear. He then orchestrated the fatal attack by having the spear hurled at Baldur, striking him and sending him to the realm of Hel, the Norse equivalent to Hades. Despite all efforts, the other gods were unable to restore Baldur to Asgard, as Loki prevented his return, again using subterfuge. [7]
Many mistletoe genera including P. leucarpum, the primary variant in North America, and Viscum album, its counterpart in Europe are members of Santalaceae, the Sandalwood Family, noted for the aromatic oils of its wood that have been used for centuries in perfumes and balms. The taxonomic association is due in part to the fact that many sandalwoods and all mistletoes are parasitic. The technical term is hemiparasitic, half parasitic. Mistletoes are green and therefore have chlorophyl for hydrocarbon formation of photosynthesis. Evolution favored an augmentation to its food sources in the form of a root-like structure called a haustorium that penetrates the bark of the host tree to withdraw water and nutrients. As many of the 1,500 species of mistletoe grow in the upper branches of trees, it is evident that one of the key evolutionary factors must be some mechanism to position seeds in these remote locations for germination. [8] Phylogenic analysis has shown that mistletoe haustorial parasitism evolved on five separate occasions starting in the Oligocene era when trees spread to form savannahs. [9]
Mistletoe produces small, sticky white drupes that are attractive to a variety of birds, particularly the thrush; the European missel thrush named for this behavior. When the birds feed on the berries, they excrete seeds that then adhere to the branches in the vicinity due to the viscous and sticky berries. This explains why infestations of mistletoe typically occur in clusters in the upper branches of trees where birds perch. At some point, the removal of water and nutrients from the host tree will result weakening and ultimately death. The only way to remove them is mechanically (like the golden sickle of the Druids), which is impractical in most cases.
The genus of the European species, Viscum, is Latin for both mistletoe and birdlime. In that the words are analogous in Latin; it is certain that mistletoe was widely used to make birdlime in Europe. Birdlime is something of a misnomer. It is essentially an adhesive applied to roosting branches to trap birds that land there. While this seems unorthodox, it is legal in most jurisdictions and not far removed from the practice of animal trapping for fur. Fowl have been staples of European cuisine for millennia. Other than large ground birds that can be hunted like other animals, those that fly are much more of a challenge. Smaller birds were a common component of a meal. The nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence” with four and twenty blackbirds baked into a pie is testimony to the cultural norm. Although any substance that is sticky can be used to make birdlime, the gooey berries of mistletoe were considered the best, at least according to the notable herbalist John Gerard, who wrote “the white translucent berries … are of a clammy or viscous moisture, whereof the best birdlime is made.” [10] There is some irony in the use of sticky mistletoe “berries” to trap birds that promote mistletoe germination by consuming and defecating the entrained seeds.
The use of mistletoe as medicine also has deep roots in European history. This extended to, as is the case with many compounds, for its use as a poison. The range from a beneficent cure to a deadly poison is a matter of dose. The term overdose marks the line of demarcation between the two. Most field guides and herbal references have cautionary notes about mistletoe’s alleged toxicity without direct evidence. These range from “unconfirmed reports of deaths have been attributed to eating berries” [11] to “use only under the guidance of a qualified [herbalist] practitioner.” [12] Chemical analysis in the modern era has revealed the mistletoe does indeed produce a cytotoxin (cell killer), now known as viscumin. Its primary action is to inhibit protein synthesis from amino acids which results in interruption of the circulatory system. Varying doses of viscumin were administered to laboratory mice to demonstrate a range based on dosage that caused deaths almost immediately to as long as one week later. [13] Mistletoe can kill but it also can heal. It is apparent that foraging birds are not affected by the dose of a few berry-drupes.
By all accounts, mistletoe is closer to panacea than to quack medicine. From Hippocrates in ancient Greece to Paracelsus in Germany during the Middle Ages, V. album has been prescribed for a variety of ailments including epilepsy, diseases of the spleen, and fertility problems. Native Americans used P. serotinum for a variety of purposes, indicating that the medicinal value of mistletoe is not limited to one species, but is more generally applicable globally. Cherokee of the east used it not only for epilepsy but also after vomiting for four days to cure “love sickness.” Navaho of the west used it to treat warts and to relieve distress caused by “eating too much meat.” [14] While some folk remedies are dubious, modern medical research has confirmed that mistletoe has many validated uses, particularly in the treatment of cancer. It has been clinically evaluated as ameliorating bladder, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer by both shrinking tumors while at the same time improving the quality of life of cancer patients. Mistletoe has also been shown to benefit the central nervous system, providing affirmation of its use as a treatment for epilepsy. [15]
What all this has to do with mistletoe as yuletide kiss talisman is speculative. More likely, hanging it in the rafters as a part of New Year’s celebrations was symbolic, promising health in the coming year as a recognized elixir of good cheer. The kiss was possibly added later as a means to pass the blessing of good health along directly in union at the start of the new year.
References:
1. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, G. C. Merriam and Company, Philippines, 1971.
2. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/christmas-greenery-history/
3. Anderson, S. “How Mistletoe Became a Christmas Kissing Tradition” Smithsonian Magazine, December 2024. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-mistletoe-became-christmas-kissing-tradition-180985450/
4. Uber, E. “D.C. aims for an epic kiss under mistletoe” Washington Post, 12 December 2025
5. Bostock, J. “Historical Facts Connected with Mistletoe”, Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book XVI, Chapter 95.
6. https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mistle40.html
7. Tonnelat, E. “Teutonic Mythology” New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, The Hamlyn Publishing Group, Ltd, Middlesex, England, 1973, pp 245-280
8. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Integrated Pest Management https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/mistletoes/#gsc.tab=0
9. Vidal-Russell, R. and Nickrent, D. “The first mistletoes: Origins of aerial parasitism in Santalales”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. May 2008 Volume 47 Issue 2 pp 523–537.
10. Gerard, J. The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes, John Norton, London, 1597
11. Duke, J. and Foster, S. Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2nd Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 2000, p. 333.
12. Polunin, M. and Robbins, C. The Natural Pharmacy, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1992, p. 130.
13. Olsnes, S et al. “Isolation and characterization of viscumin, a toxic lectin from Viscum album L. (mistletoe)”. The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 25 November 1982 Volume 257 Issue 22 pp 13263 – 13270
14. Ethnobotany Data Base at http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=mistletoe
Hiker's Notebook 