How can mistletoe help you? What the research says

Author

Olivia Pearman is an experienced researcher who is passionate about access to scientific information. She has over a decade of research experience with a PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder, a Master’s from the Yale School of the Environment, and a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills in translating research for all audiences and is thrilled to work with CancerChoices to help make scientific knowledge available for everybody.

Olivia Pearman, PhD Research Associate

Clinical reviewer

Dr. Sarah Soles completed her naturopathic medical training at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. During her internship on the adjunctive cancer care shift, she learned the immense value of combining naturopathic approaches with conventional cancer treatments. Dr. Soles went on to complete a two-year residency in naturopathic cancer care at the Integrated Health Clinic. She continues to help patients in all stages of their cancer journey—from screening and prevention to active treatment or maintaining a remission. She is also the research director for the Knowledge in Naturopathic Oncology Website and a contributing author to the Textbook of Naturopathic Oncology: A Desktop Guide to Integrative Cancer Care.

Sarah Soles, MSc, ND, FABNO

Last update: May 6, 2026

We summarize the clinical evidence for each medical benefit here. We begin with our assessment of the strength of evidence within each category, followed by a brief summary of individual studies or reviews of several studies. In assessing the strength of evidence, we consider the study design, number of participants, and the size of the treatment effect (how much outcomes changed with treatment).

To see more details, click the plus sign to the right of any section.

Improving treatment outcomes

Is mistletoe linked to improved survival? Is it linked to less cancer growth or metastasis? Does it enhance the anticancer action of other treatments or therapies? We present the evidence.

Cancer as a whole

Modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of better survival among people with cancer as a whole treated with mistletoe extracts

Advanced cancer

Insufficient evidencepreclinical evidence only OR clinical studies with such poor or unclear methodology that no conclusion can be drawn OR conflicting findings across clinical studies with no preponderance of evidence in one direction; conflicting evidence occurs when studies find conflicting effects (positive effect vs no effect or negative effect) with the same treatment and the same general study population (same cancer type, for example) (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) for improved quality of life among people with advanced cancer treated with mistletoe

Breast cancer

Insufficient evidence of better survival or effect on relapse or metastasis among people with breast cancer treated with mistletoe

Gynecologic cancers

Insufficient evidence of clinical benefit among people with gynecologic cancers treated with mistletoe

Liver cancer

Weak evidenceone or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) for tumor reduction in people with advanced liver cancer treated with mistletoe

Lung cancer

Weak evidence for better survival of people with advanced lung cancer treated with mistletoe in addition to chemotherapy

Pancreatic cancer

Insufficient evidence for increased survival or improved quality of life for people with advanced pancreatic cancer treated with mistletoe

Mistletoe combined with other therapies

Mistletoe, pharmacological ascorbate, probiotics, and several supplements: weak evidence of complete remission in a single person with high grade, non-muscle involved bladder cancer refractory to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin treated with intravenous pharmacological ascorbate and subcutaneous mistletoe along with several supplements

Optimizing your body terrain

Does mistletoe promote an environment within your body that is less supportive of cancer development, growth, or spread? We present the evidence.

See Optimizing Your Body Terrain ›

Find medical professionals who specialize in managing body terrain factors: Finding Integrative Oncologists and Other Practitioners ›

Immune function

Increased immune system activation is not always beneficial, so your oncology team needs to determine whether immune activation would be favorable in your situation.

Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of higher immune activation among people with tumors and healthy volunteers treated with mistletoe extracts

Managing side effects and promoting wellness

Is mistletoe linked to fewer or less severe side effects or symptoms? Is it linked to less toxicity from cancer treatment? Does it support your quality of life or promote general well-being? We present the evidence.

Side effects as a whole

Good evidencesignificant effects in one large or several mid-sized and well-designed clinical studies (randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with an appropriate placebo or other strong comparison control or observational studies that control for confounds) (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of fewer side effects of conventional treatmentsthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy among people with cancer treated with mistletoe

Anxiety

Preliminary evidencesignificant effects in small or poorly designed clinical studies OR conflicting results in adequate studies but a preponderance of evidence of an effect (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of less anxiety among people treated with mistletoe at the time of surgery

Blood-related side effects

Modest evidencesignificant effects in at least three small but well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs), or one or more well-designed, mid-sized clinical studies of reasonably good quality (RCTs or observational studies), or several small studies aggregated into a meta-analysis (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of fewer reductions in white blood cells from chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiotherapy among people treated with mistletoe

Body composition or cachexia

Preliminary evidence of better weight gain among people with metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving no conventional treatment and treated with mistletoe extract

Changes in appetite

Modest evidence of better appetite among people with cancer treated with mistletoe

Fatigue

Good evidence of less fatigue among people with cancer treated with mistletoe

Gastrointestinal symptoms

People with cancer treated with mistletoe have reported less nausea and vomiting across many studies and less diarrhea in one study.

Quality of life

Good evidence of better quality of life among people treated with mistletoe

Pain

Preliminary evidence of less pain during cancer treatment among people treated with mistletoe

Sleep disruption

Preliminary evidence of less insomnia among people with advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with mistletoe extract

Other side effects and symptoms

Weak evidenceone or more case studies, supported by animal evidence OR small treatment effects of limited clinical significance OR studies with no controls OR weak trends of effects (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of less fluid in the abdomen (ascites) among people with advanced cancer treated with mistletoe

Mistletoe combined with other therapies

People with lung cancer reported less nausea and vomiting when treated with radiation and mistletoe (Viscum album L.).

Reducing cancer risk

Is mistletoe linked to lower risks of developing cancer or of recurrence? We present the evidence.

Cancer as a whole

No evidenceoverall, one or more studies did not demonstrate that a treatment or intervention led to an expected outcome; this does not always mean that there is no effect in clinical practice, but that the studies may have been underpowered (too few participants) or poorly designed. Larger, well-designed studies provide more confidence in making assessments. of lower risk of recurrence of cancer as a whole among people treated with mistletoe in a combined analysis of studies

Bladder cancer

Insufficient evidencepreclinical evidence only OR clinical studies with such poor or unclear methodology that no conclusion can be drawn OR conflicting findings across clinical studies with no preponderance of evidence in one direction; conflicting evidence occurs when studies find conflicting effects (positive effect vs no effect or negative effect) with the same treatment and the same general study population (same cancer type, for example) (this is the CancerChoices definition; other researchers and studies may define this differently) of lower tumor recurrence among people with bladder cancer treated with mistletoe

Helpful links

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Mistletoe ›

In-depth information, ratings of effectiveness and safety and evaluation of specific mistletoe products; subscription required

Believe Big Panel Discussion on Mistletoe Therapy

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