mistletoe

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Another reason to celebrate under the mistletoe this holiday season is that researchers have just determined a medicine made out of fermented mistletoe may prolong the lives of cancer patients. The plant is Viscum album, the most common holiday mistletoe of Europe, and the species that first inspired the tradition of couples sharing a kiss under its evergreen leaves and waxy berries. Americans, on the other hand, might kiss under Phoradendron serotinum, which resembles the European plant but was not the focus of the study. The fermented mistletoe medicine is called Iscador. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/24/mistletoe-cancer.html