Viscum album : from high dilutions to phytotherapy
Authors: Blostin Richard 
Published: August 2021

Background : Besides conventional anticancer therapy, cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine like the medicinal herb mistletoe (Viscum album L.), used in oral form or injections.

For this condition Viscum album (VA) is also used in high dilutions, in injections, as in Brazil.

Aim:

Our aim is to compare results of basic research about these two presentations: herbal medicine and high dilutions and to look for an eventual continuity of action between the molecular form (herbal medicine) and the informative one (high dilutions)

Method:

About VA in herbal medicine : a lot of references in immunology, in particular those published by the team of Srini Kaveri and Stephan Baumgartner.(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

About VA in high dilutions : the work in immunology of Aloiso Cunha de Carvalho and Leoni Bonamin published in a thesis. (6)

And then to compare those results with our practice as veterinarian on dogs and cats .

Results :

VA in herbal medecine: from basic research results, we know that in low concentration,

an immunostimulary action is observed while in higher doses it is a cytotoxic activity.

These two properties are found in our practical use of VA in dogs or cats : stabilization of the size of tumors for the low concentrations, necrosis of tumors and abscess for the high concentrations.

VA in high dilutions (from D3 to D30) : from basic research, an immunostimutating effect is observed. More exactly, on a murin model of tumor of Ehrlich, it is observed an improvement of quality of life, a reduction of the tumor immunosuppressive effect, an enlargement of local inflammations (Oedema) for all concentrations, but only 3D reduces tumor growth, without modifying local necrosis and the immunological parameters.

In our practice, on two cases of osteosarcoma on dogs, we verify those properties using VA both in herbal medicine and in high dilutions.

Conclusions:

From these results, both in basic research and in the practice, we should estimate there is probably a continuity of action fom VA, in High Dynamised Dilutions ( no more molecule), to VA in herbal medicine (molecular activity). From immunostimation to cytotoxicity, from information to molecular activity.

Does each Viscum albumâ€™s preparation touch

the same level of the Immune System ? The same cells ? The same receptors ? A lot of questions remainâ€¦

References

1) Duong Van Huyen JP and al. Variable sensitivity of lymphoblastoid cells to apoptosis induced by Viscum album Qu FrF, a therapeutic preparation of mistletoe lectin. Chemotherapy. (2001)

2) Duong Van Huyen JP and al. Induction of apoptosis of endothelial cells by Viscum album: a role for anti-tumoral properties of mistletoe lectins. Mol Med. (2002)

3)Duong Van Huyen JP and al Comparative study of the sensitivity of lymphoblastoid and transformed monocytic cell lines to the cytotoxic effects of Viscum album extracts of different origin.. Chemotherapy. (2003)

4) Estko M and al. Tumour cell derived effects on monocyte/macrophage polarization and function and modulatory potential of Viscum album lipophilic extract in vitro.

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015

5) Saha C, and al Differential Effects of Viscum album Preparations on the Maturation and Activation of Human Dendritic Cells and CD4âº T Cell Responses.

Molecules. 2016 Jul 14;21(7)

6) Aloisio Cunha de Carvalho , ATIVIDADE ANTI-NEOPLÃSICA DE Viscum album (L) EM TUMORES EXPERIMENTAIS: REVISÃƒO CRÃTICA E ESTUDO EXPERIMENTAL EM TUMOR DE EHRLICH, Thesis Sao Paulo