Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-01
THE MEDICINAL M1sT1EToE.
An "All-Heale" Of the Ancients.
Myth Concerning the Parasite.

From the New York Tines
A monster in botany. a dryad in myth
ology. panacea in therapeutics, a peren-
Mai fuletide symbol OF seminal survival
and reproductive vitality is the traditional
character assigned to the viscum album,
ail-heale," or mistletoe, by Dr. John
mott In the current issue Of the New
York Medical journal. The mistletoe at
Christmastide Is hailed by doctors as an
old acquaintance, the legend Of whose
healing virtues Is still potent in the prac-
.ice OF some of that respectable profession
For at least twenty centuries Its air-lodg-
ed rootlets have penetrated with the mys-
terry OF their origin the pages alike of
Iolk-iore ana OF botanical and medica
literature. Suspended green in wintry
branches, the parasite was by it's strange
contrast OF environment invested with
awe and religious dignity by the Celtic
Druids. and outrivaled in fame among the
western nations the lotus OF the Eeyp-
tians- Fergil compared its mysterious
LEAKAGE and fruitage to the Sibyls golden
bough." The Sibyl of Scandinavia was
Weakened from Lok's iron sleep to proph-
esy the death by the mistIetoe of the
bright sun god Ba der. Its fourishing
amid the dead starkness of winter may
account for the fatal qualities assigned to
the evergreen by the northern nations, but
also It's wondrous vitality made it a SYM
Dol OF resurrection. peace and healing.
Piiny. In philemon Hollands quaint trans
lat1on thus describes the herb in the rev.
erent ceremony Of the Druids:
They call 1t in their language
All Heale for they haue an opinion of
1t that 1t cureth all maladies whatsoeuer),
and when they are about to gather It,
after they haue we'll & duly prepared their
sacrlnces ana festival cheere vnder the
said tree. they bring thither two yong
bu locks milk white, such as neuer drew
in yoke at plough or vain, and whose
heads were then and not before bound by
the horn; which done, the priest araied
In a surplesse or white vesture, climbeth
Vp into the tree and with a golden hooke
or bill cutteth 1t of, and they beneath
receiue 1t In a white soldiers cassock or
coat Of arms; then they fall to Kill the
beasts Aforesaid for sacrifice, mumbling
many oraisons & praying deuoutly: that II
would please God to blesse this gift of his
70 the good and benefit of al those to
whom he had vouchsafed to glue It, Now
this persuasion they haue Of Misselto thus
gathered. That what Iiuing creatures
soeuer otherwise barren) do drink of it.
VIII presently become fruitful thereupon:
also, that 1t Is soueraign countrepoison
SO vain and superstitious are many ma
tons In the world, and oftentimes In such
frivolous and foolish things as these.
Sir Thomas Browne was a bit skeptica,
OF ITS qualities as panacea, and modern
medical authorities almost universally
scout its therapeutical pretensions
Strangely enough. the survival Of its med
icinal use In England is "as a popular
remedy In cases Of cardiac trouble" Az
fections OF the heart, we doubt not. have
been successfully treated by means of the
mistletoe: but we venture a ay opinion
that the patients were young. the mani
was suspended above their heads. and was
emcacious only In the Yule season,