Mistletoe tea - Healthy little twigs against cancer

 

 Have you had Mistletoe tea? 

When I first heard the name, I thought it should a very romantic tea. I was imagining a warm winter  herbal tea with cute little berries. However, while I was researching about the tea, I found that 'Mistletoe' literally means poop twig and you are not supposed to eat the berries, because of the poison. As you see the picture above, the tea looks like miniature fire woods.

 Even though they have weird name and not quite good looking, they have been used as a super food since ancient time. Ancient cultures have long used mistletoe as medicine, and religious purposes. Druids used it in fertility rites and in healing diseases such as tumors, insomnia and mental problems. Today, there’s a renewed interest in using mistletoe tea in addressing conditions such as cancer, heart diseases and hypertension. In laboratory, mistletoe extracts are shown to kill tumor cells but the problem is how to channel it into cancer cells without being metabolized by the liver. More studies are needed before mistletoe can be used reliably against cancer.

Health Benefits of Mistletoe tea

 Calming Effect

Mistletoe herbal tea helps calm the body’s senses mostly without causing analgesia or drowsiness. It is useful in cases such as panic attacks, irritability and anxiety.

 Effects on Muscles

Mistletoe has a profound effect on muscles of the body; most especially on specialized muscles found in uterus, arteries and intestines. Mistletoe tea is great in calming these muscles, which is somewhat beneficial in conditions such as amenorrhea, indigestion or dyspepsia. But using mistletoe tea for hypertension may not be good because it has both hypertensive and hypotensive effects.

 Mistletoe Tea for Infection

Mistletoe tea is a useful wash for wounds and inflamed lesions that are in danger of infection. This makes mistletoe tea good in chilblains, leg ulcers and as compress for varicose veins. Mistletoe tea, when washed on the face, may be helpful for acne (pimples).
 

 Contraindications of Mistletoe Tea

Effects of mistletoe to the body are not yet fully known to science; all we knew is that mistletoe has numerous compounds and some is known to be harmful to body. Therefore, very sick people, pregnant and nursing mothers should never take mistletoe. Mistletoe may cause allergies in some people, so first-time users should be watchful for symptoms (swelling, difficulty of breathing, rashes, etc.)

 

Brewing Tips

Warm tea : Use aprox. 1 tsp to 1 cup of 175 - 195 ℉ water for 2 minutes. You can brew for 2 - 3 times.

Cold tea : Use 1 tsp to 2 cup of cold water. Steep the leaves at room temperature for 12 hours.


The picture above is when I steep the chopped mistletoe tea in hot water.
The tea is very mild with a bit of woodsy smell.
This organic mistletoe tea is from South Korea and now the tea is available at handolcha.com



※ Handol tearoom buys herbal tea ingredients that are closest to their original form from our reliable providers. So we can provide cleanest and freshest herbs without any fillers. We have both chopped and non-chopped herbs that you can choose from options.