MISTLETOE ‘COULD HEAL WOUNDS’
A strong glue made from mistletoe which could help heal wounds could soon be available, scientists believe.
The sticky festive foliage is perhaps well-known for its ceremonial role facilitating romance but its white berries also produce a gooey substance called viscin which has for centuries been used as a natural adhesive.
Romans and Greeks used the mistletoe berries to treat skin ulcers and trap birds and now scientists from the University of Essex are investigating if it could be made into a commercial glue.
Mistletoe’s white berries make a sticky substance which helps its seeds stick to animals like birds which then carry the seeds and help the plant reproduce.
Pliny mentioned mistletoe in 50BC as part of a bird-trapping product and it has also been mentioned in literature from ancient Egypt as well as Shakespeare for primitive glue recipes.
It is also thought to have been used in the Second World War to make “sticky bombs” which were planted on the side of Nazi tanks and detonated moments later.
But scientists have so far never unpicked what makes its berries so sticky.
Essex scientists are hoping to grow more mistletoe and to study its biology in a first of its kind project.
“Despite its fame mistletoe is really understudied and it could have a wide range of uses – including high-quality surgical glue,” said Dr Pallavi Singh, from the University of Essex.
“Mistletoe also has the largest genome of any plant to be sequenced in the UK, meaning the research could have wide-ranging impacts in biotech and how we understand the world.
The University of Essex has partnered with producer Mistletoe Trees, near Chelmsford, on the project.
The collaboration is in its early stages but the researchers have already grown mistletoe in a controlled laboratory environment and are exploring its genetic make-up.
A series of experiments are underway to see if mistletoe and mistletoe inspired glue can be developed commercially.
‘Benefit us all’
Dr Nick Aldred, a biologist on the project, added: “By exploring the natural world to create environmentally friendly glues, we can use naturally occurring materials to benefit us all.
“It might seem unusual to use mistletoe berries as the basis of a glue, but its potential has been known about for thousands of years.
“If we can develop and build on this knowledge, hopefully we can make a useful glue, whilst learning more about how nature can benefit us all.”
2024-12-08T19:00:46Z
