Knowing is half the battle...
Mistletoe (which means "dung-on-a-twig") is a parasitic plant, sometimes nick-named the "vampire plant" because it can probe beneath tree bark to drain water and minerals, allowing it to survive during drought.
It was also thought to be a cure for poison but, since most people are sensitive to the berries, which cause a poison ivy-like rash, the whole plant is generally seen as poisonous. The leaves and twigs are used be herbalists to treat circulatory and respiratory problems, as well as tumors (malignant ones included).
It's also a very sexual plant: the forking paired branches, paired leaves and berries full of white sticky juice. Because of this, it was a large part of ancient fertility tradition, re-invented throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The American mistletoe, the one you see more frequently, has different characteristics that remove a bit of the sexual stigma; also, the American mistletoe has no healing qualities and is very, very toxic.
It was also thought to be a cure for poison but, since most people are sensitive to the berries, which cause a poison ivy-like rash, the whole plant is generally seen as poisonous. The leaves and twigs are used be herbalists to treat circulatory and respiratory problems, as well as tumors (malignant ones included).
It's also a very sexual plant: the forking paired branches, paired leaves and berries full of white sticky juice. Because of this, it was a large part of ancient fertility tradition, re-invented throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The American mistletoe, the one you see more frequently, has different characteristics that remove a bit of the sexual stigma; also, the American mistletoe has no healing qualities and is very, very toxic.