[Helixor--mistletoe preparation for cancer therapy. Documentation No. 19].

Helixor is an aqueous cold extract from fresh mistletoe, obtained from fir, pine and apple trees. A number of components with different possible effects were isolated: lectins, viscotoxins, alkaloids, etc. "Oncological therapy" and "stimulation of the bone marrow" are given as the main fields of indication. Pregnancy, hyperthyroidism and intolerances are given as contraindications. Depending on the type and the stage of the tumour, treatment based on a specific rhythmic schedule should be carried out for a period ranging from five years to a lifetime. A 7-ampoule pack costs 37 to 44 DM. Local inflammatory reactions occur as side effects. Fever is desirable. Helixor was developed by the Section for Leukemia and Cancer Therapy of the Gemein-schaft Fischermühle e. V. in Rosenfeld, FRG, and has been used since about 1968. It is produced and distributed by Helixor Heilmittel GmbH & Co. The origin of anticancer treatment with Helixor, a mistletoe preparation, is the anthroposophical medicine. In addition, Helixor supposedly bridges the dramatic gap between conventional and natural treatment of cancer in that it exerts both a selective cancerostatic and an immunostimulatory effect. Hardly any research has been done on the pharmacodynamics, the pharmacokinetics and the toxicity of the total extract Helixor. In vitro studies reveal a cytostatic effect on individual cell lines; animal experiments with freshly pressed juice are contradictory. Specific effects of Helixor on the immune system and its actual bearing on the tumour process have so far not been unequivocally elucidated. The three clinical-historical comparative studies contain methodological errors. They do not provide evidence of the clinical efficacy against tumours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)