Mistletoe may be hung and a few kisses may already be checked off your list?but there are year-round perks to this holiday staple. The decorative greenery, once reserved for doorways and dropping hints for your crush, actually contains a potent extract that when applied topically, helps keep skin soft and supple. The liquid form of it has even been used in Europe for close to a century to improve quality of life for cancer patients. So before winter gets the best of your skin and immune system, here?s why you should add this evergreen to your arsenal, now and beyond the holidays.
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There’s Power in the Leaves

The little red berries that grow on the winter version of mistletoe are purely aesthetic?the real power is in the leaves and stems. The liquid extract that comes from these parts has been used in Europe for ages as an herbal remedy to treat everything from delirium to insomnia. In skin and hair products, there’s evidence that it works as an anti-inflammatory and helps make our exteriors softer and more resilient. “It works as a stimulant and vasodilator,” says cosmetic chemist, Perry Romanowski. This means that it helps with the dilation of blood vessels within the skin. This could be why it’s been said to help treat varicose veins, but Romanowski says that there isn’t good enough evidence to prove it.
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How It Works
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