Romantic decoration or deadly plant in disguise?
What comes to mind when you first hear the word mistletoe?
If you’re like me, I picture people laughing and giggling at a holiday party as they point to the funny-looking green plant with bright red berries hanging from the doorway.
If you also picture a small plant with spiky, dark green leaves and red berries like me, we’re actually both wrong. This kind of plant is called holly and is commonly confused with mistletoe. Instead, mistletoe has round, green leaves with mostly white berries. So now you have a neat fact to share at your next family gathering!
Let’s get back to our joyful holiday scene. What I don’t imagine here is people getting deathly ill from one of those ripe mistletoe berries accidently falling into their eggnog and getting swallowed by mistake. That’s right — mistletoe is a poisonous plant! Don’t be fooled by its charming good looks and sweet nature — this is one dangerous shrub we’re dealing with.
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This fact now begs the question: why on Earth do we have this tradition of kissing under a poisonous plant? It doesn’t seem very romantic to me. I mean, I know people love a good thrill, and I can understand that — but this is poison we’re talking about.
Now, I have to admit, I did a little research on my own and came across some nice folklore stories about how the tradition began and the meaning and symbolism behind it. One story tells of how mistletoe was believed to promote life and fertility because of its protection against poison (ironically), as well as it being a general aphrodisiac.I thought these anecdotes were quite lovely and well-intentioned, and I guess what I’m trying to say is I really don’t have anything against mistletoe. Everyone needs to be loved, right? Even poisonous plants. I just thought it would be funny to highlight this one little fact that often seems to be overlooked when people talk about the tradition.
Notably, according to an article by the New York Times, the idea that mistletoe is a deadly plant is actually a slight myth. The plant does in fact contain harmful chemicals that can cause an upset stomach and slowed heartbeat, but these symptoms have only been found to present themselves in a handful of people who ingested the berries.
So in reality, it’s not deadly, but still not the greatest. Just don’t plan on garnishing your turkey dinner with it anytime soon.
Anyway, isn’t it great being informed about these things?
Happy holidays and happy kissing!
Images edited by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion