Mistletoe
Mistletoe belongs to the family and is known as Remnetsvetnyh poluparazit on trees and bushes in the form of evergreen shrubs spherical shape. Parasitized by the mistletoe as deciduous trees (poplars, maples, beeches, limes, pears, apples), and on conifers (pines, firs, fir, larch, etc.). Found in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus, Primorye. The word "mistletoe dates back to Old Church Slavonic, and means" spotless "," clean ", apparently because of the snow-white false fruits, which are a favorite food of birds, especially blackbirds. They are willing to eat them, cleaning their beaks on the sticky seeds on branches of trees, leaving the seeds on the crust, where they later germinate. Hence, it is obvious and popular name of the mistletoe - lime.Mistletoe - ball-branched plant, glabrous, with woody branches and plain flowers, and bloom it in March and April. Late autumn or winter with mistletoe harvested young stems with leaves and dried them without fruit, since fruit are poisonous. These fruits are still on the trees until January, for what they are called "Christmas berry". Fruits are very seductive, especially for children, but they can cause severe disorders of cardiac activity. Be careful!
Mistletoe has long been used in folk medicine, primarily as a styptic and astringent, and as a sedative, anthelmintic and antineoplastic.
In folk medicine the plant consumed in the form of infusions and decoctions for epilepsy, hysteria. Such diverse effects of mistletoe, apparently due to a complex of biologically active substances that accumulate depending on the tree-owner. From drug use to young stems and leaves. The leaves and young shoots are also fodder value, since they have a lot of protein fat. In the Caucasus before the mistletoe fattened sheep in Western Europe - cattle.
Has mistletoe application in cosmetics. Aqueous extract of the branches of mistletoe in combination with nettle! burdock, heather wash a head of hair strengthening and growth; External infusion, decoction or powder of mistletoe are used as a palliative analgesic with pustular skin diseases, and abscesses. Bulgaria has applied for swelling of lymph nodes, tumors. In Poland, the pharmaceutical industry, produces tea and extracts of mistletoe.