Machine generated contents note: Preface to the Series ix -- Preface xi -- Contributors xiii -- 1. Introduction: History of Mistletoe Uses 1 -- Arndt Bussing -- 2. Viscum in the Context of its Family, Viscaceae, and its Diversity in Africa 7 -- Donald W. Kirkup, Roger M. Polhill and Delbert Wiens -- 3. European Mistletoe: Taxonomy, Host Trees, Parts Used, Physiology 31 -- Hans Becker -- 4. Korean Mistletoes and Other East-Asian Populations 45 -- Won-Bong Park -- 5. Mistletoes from Argentina. Ligaria cuneifolia var. cuneifolia as a Substitute for the European Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) 61 -- Teresa B. Fernandez, Beatriz G. Varela, Carlos A. Taira, Rafael A. Ricco, -- Alberto A. Gurni, Silvia E. Hajos, Elida M. C. Alvarez and Marcelo -- L. Wagner -- 6. Cultivation and Development of Viscum album L. 75 -- Hartmut Ramm, Konrad Urech, Markus Scheibler and -- Gianfranco Grazi -- 7. The Biotechnology of Viscum album L.: Tissue Culture, Somatic Embryogenesis and Protoplast Isolation 95 -- Spiridon Kintzios and Maria Barberaki -- 8. Chemical Constituents of European Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Isolation and Characterisation of the Main Relevant Ingredients: -- Lectins, Viscotoxins, Oligo-/polysaccharides, Flavonoides, Alkaloids 101 -- Uwe Pfiiller -- 9. Biological and Pharmacological Properties of Viscum album L. From Tissue flask to Man 123 -- Arndt Bussing -- 10. Toxicology of Mistletoe and their Components 183 -- Gerburg M. Stein -- 11. Adverse Effects during Therapy with Mistletoe Extracts 195 -- Gerburg M. Stein and Peter A. Berg -- 12. Overview on Viscum album L. Products 209 -- Arndt Bussing -- 13. Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Mistletoe Preparations 223 -- Elmar Lorch and Wilfried Troger -- 14. Natural Versus Recombinant Mistletoe Lectin-1. Market Trends 237 -- Josef Beuth -- 15. The Magic Potion becomes Serious: Whole Plant Extracts vs. Defined Components 247 -- Gerburg M. Stein and Michael Schietzel -- Index 263.