Iscador – Mistletoe
Iscador, the proprietary (Weleda AG) fermented preparation of the European mistletoe combined with homeopathic dosages of silver copper and mercury, is an approved treatment for cancer in Germany and Switzerland, administered to some 40,000 people during the 1980s.7 Evidence for its clinical oncology is centred upon its immune-enhancing properties:

* One active ingredient, a plant lectin called ML 1, when injected into rabbits resulted in significant natural killer cell, macrophage, and other white blood cell activity enhancement; similar immune enhancement occurs in cancer patients injected with Iscador;8
* Iscador significantly stimulated the thymus gland and thymus immune cells, resulted in increased antibody production and B-cells, acceleration of recovery of bone marrow and spleens from irradiated animals;
* A peptide isolated from Iscador decreased the size of solid lymphomas in mice;9

In humans, Iscador demonstrated clinical anti-cancer effects:
* Cyto-toxicity to cancer cells and immune enhancement in patients with widespread metastatic lung cancer;
* Increased activity of natural killer cells, similar to that observed with interferon-alfa;
* Treatment with Iscador following surgery of 25 women with ovarian cancer, resulted in a five-year survival rate of 100%, Stage I and II, 23%, Stage III and 0%, Stage IV. Compared to patients who received the drug Cytoval and survived 5.2 months with Stage III cancer, the Iscador patients who had more advanced disease survived an average of 16.2 months.10

Research into Iscador's anti-cancer activity is ongoing at the Lucas Clinic, Arlesheim, Switzerland. Hopefully the results of their research, if positive, will result in the greater availability of Iscador, particularly in America, where it has been condemned by the American Cancer Society