What is mistletoe in Harry Potter?

mistletoe

amur foxtail

Viscum coloratum

More translations are: mistletoe

Alias north parasitic, mulberry parasitic, willow parasitic, parasitic.

The source is the leafy stems and branches of mistletoe. ) Nakal, mistletoe of Taxilliaceae.

The dictionary notes that an organism depends on another organism or absorbs nutrients from the living cells and tissues of another organism. Without the host, it will wither into golden yellow.

Plant morphology evergreen semi-parasitic shrub, 30 ~ 60 cm high. The stems and branches are cylindrical, yellow-green or green, with obvious nodes, and there are 2 ~ 3 bifurcations on the nodes. The single leaf is opposite, born at the branch end, sessile, nearly fleshy, shiny, elliptic-lanceolate or oblanceolate, entire, and glabrous on both sides. Flowers unisexual, born at the end of branches or bifurcation; Male perianth 4-lobed, stamens 4, filaments absent, anthers multilocular; Female flower 1 ~ 3 peanut on short peduncle, perianth bell-shaped, 4-lobed, ovary inferior. Berries are spherical, translucent, orange-red when ripe and rich in mucus. The flowering period is April-May, and the fruiting period is September.

Parasitic on elm, birch, Pterocarya stenoptera, pear, Quercus acutissima and other trees. Location: Northeast China and North China.

It can be harvested all year round, chopped and dried for later use.

Features: the stems and branches are cylindrical, with a diameter of 3 ~ 8 mm, slightly enlarged nodes, a thickness of 1.5cm, and a purple-black ring. The surface is golden yellow with irregular longitudinal wrinkles. The leaves are thick, golden yellow to yellowish brown, with many lateral wrinkles. The stem is hard, the cross section is light yellow, the epidermis is loose, the cambium ring is obvious, the ray is white and the pith is small.

Chemical components: Oleanolic acid, β-coumarin, inositol and flavonoids are contained in the stems and leaves. The leaves also contain mistletoe glycosides A and B and mistletoe phenol.

The taste is plain, sweet and sour.

Its main functions are expelling wind and removing dampness, nourishing liver and kidney, strengthening bones and muscles, and preventing miscarriage. Used for rheumatism, arthralgia, soreness of waist and knees, and fetal movement.

Moral:

Mistletoe evergreen represents hope and abundance. There is a famous English saying that there is no happiness without mistletoe.

Mistletoe, as its name implies, is a kind of plant parasitic on other plants. It is evergreen all the year round, with yellow flowers in winter and white or red berries. Drinking its juice can prevent infertility. A long time ago, our ancestors knew how to make bird glue with the mucus of mistletoe fruit, so birds fell into people's hands and became delicious on the table.

Mistletoe is called "the golden branch of life" in the west, but it has become a symbol of death in Nordic mythology: Bird, the god of peace, the son of Odin and the god of love Frigga, was shot to death by the evil god Loki with a dart made of mistletoe. Frija's sad tears dissolved the evil of mistletoe and saved her son. So she promised that whoever stood under the mistletoe would get a kiss. This myth has evolved into a western Christmas tradition: if a woman occasionally passes by or stands where mistletoe hangs, the man next to her can go up and kiss her. Westerners believe that this is a sign of the combination of the two sexes and many children. This is also in line with the customs of the ancient Celts. They believe that red mistletoe fruit is a symbol of female vitality; White fruit represents male fertility; They all represent the primitive Mother Earth.

According to tradition, mistletoe, regarded as an evil thing, can be used to help pregnancy and lightning protection; Hanging in the room can resist bad luck and witchcraft, and hanging at the door can prevent witches from entering the room. Mistletoe was once regarded as a "panacea", and some tribes in Africa would wear it before the war to avoid injury. The Austrian put mistletoe on the threshold in case of nightmares. When Christmas comes, English people will hang branches of mistletoe and put them under pillows to predict their dreams. Swedes use mistletoe branches as probes to detect gold veins. In the border area between Austria and Italy, there has been a saying that mistletoe can make people invisible.

Mistletoe is a lucky plant born on February 24th, 65438. Its evergreen represents perseverance and regenerative ability. Therefore, those who are protected by it will have strong willpower and firm goals in life, can resist any temptation and will not give up easily in the face of difficulties; But some people will be complacent, which will be the fuse of failure.

English name VISCI

Alias north parasitic, holly, mulberry parasitic, willow parasitic, yellow parasitic, frozen green, parasitic.

Source: This product is the dried stems and leaves of mistletoe. ) Nakai, a taxaceae plant. Harvesting from winter to the following spring, removing thick stems, cutting into sections, drying, or steaming.

Methods Impurities were removed, slightly washed, thoroughly moistened, cut into thick slices and dried.

Characteristics The stems and branches of this product are cylindrical, with 2-5 bifurcations, about 30cm long and 0.3-1cm in diameter; The surface is yellow-green, golden or yellowish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles; Nodes are swollen with branches or branch marks. Light, brittle, easily broken, uneven section, yellow skin, light wood color, ray, pith often biased to one side. Opposite leaves are born on branches, easy to fall off and sessile; The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 2 ~ 7 cm long and 0.5 ~ 1.5 cm wide; Apex obtuse, base cuneate, entire; The surface is yellow-green, with fine wrinkles, 5 main veins and 3 obvious midveins. Leather. Berries are spherical and shriveled. Tasteless, slightly bitter, sticky when chewing.