Active ingredients

• 50 mg oak mistletoe herb extract (1:5) fermented; extraction agent: water

Excipients

• Water for injection
• Sodium chloride

Active ingredient:
fermented aqueous extract of oak mistletoe.

What is Iscador and what is it used for?
Iscador is an anthroposophical medicine for the extended treatment of tumor diseases.

Areas of application
According to the anthroposophical understanding of man and nature, Iscador M/P/Qu is used to stimulate the formative and integrative forces in adults to dissolve and reintegrate independent growth processes, e.g.

• in malignant tumor diseases, also with accompanying disorders of the blood-forming organs;
• in benign tumor diseases;
• to prevent tumor recurrence after surgery;
• in defined precancerous conditions (precancerous lesions).

How should Iscador be used?
Always use this medicine exactly as described in the package leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you.

If you are not sure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Method of administration
The subcutaneous injection should be given near the tumor or metastasis if possible, otherwise in a different part of the body (e.g. abdominal skin, upper arm or thigh). Inflamed areas of skin or radiation fields should be avoided in any case. Strict subcutaneous injection technique must be used.

As a precaution, it is recommended not to draw up Iscador in a syringe with other medicines.

After cleaning the injection site (e.g. by rubbing with 70% alcohol), form a fold of skin and insert the injection needle at an angle. Pull the syringe plunger back slightly. If blood appears, a blood vessel has been hit.

In this case, repeat the injection at a different location. If no blood appears, inject slowly, then pull out the needle and briefly press the injection site with a swab.

It is always recommended that you learn the injection technique from an experienced person.

Iscador ampoules should be used immediately after opening. Opened ampoules must not be stored and used at a later date, as the sterility of the injection fluid can no longer be guaranteed.

Dosage
The dosage is always individual. Unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor, the following usual dosage applies.

Introductory phase
To avoid overreactions, a gradual dose of Iscador M/P/Qu Series 0 is recommended at the start of treatment with Iscador M/P/Qu. Even if you have already been treated with another mistletoe preparation, you must start again with the corresponding Series 0 when you start treatment with Iscador M/P/Qu.

1 ml is injected subcutaneously 2 to 3 times a week in increasing strengths according to the composition of the series.
If Series 0 is well tolerated, it can be increased to Iscador Series I or possibly Series II until the patient's individual response dose is reached.

The optimal strength or dose must be determined individually. According to current knowledge, the following reactions should be taken into account, which can occur individually or in combination:

a) Changes in subjective well-being: fatigue, chills, general feeling of illness, headaches and brief dizziness that may occur on the day of the injection are not signs of intolerance, but indicate an effective, possibly already too high dosage. If these symptoms have not subsided by the following day or exceed a tolerable level, the strength or dose should be reduced.
An improvement in general well-being (increase in appetite and weight, normalization of sleep, sensation of warmth and performance) and psychological well-being (brightening of mood, increased courage and ability to take initiative) as well as an alleviation of pain indicate that the dosage has been adjusted to the optimal level.

b) Temperature reaction: Temperature reaction in the form of an above-average increase in body temperature a few hours after injection, a restoration of the physiological morning/evening difference of at least 0.5 °C or an increase in the average temperature level during treatment.

In tumor fever, on the other hand, the aim is to normalize and rhythmize the core temperature with low levels.

c) Immunological reaction: e.g. increase in white blood cells (leukocytes).

d) Local inflammatory reaction: at the injection site up to a maximum of 5 cm in diameter.

Maintenance phase
Treatment is continued with the optimal individual strength or dose determined in this way. Treatment is continued either with the series in which the reaction dose represents the highest strength or with the corresponding variety pack (pack with ampoules of one strength).

To avoid habituation effects, rhythmic application is recommended:

• Variation with lower strengths or doses in the form of ascending and possibly descending dosage series
• Rhythmization of injection intervals, e.g. injection on day 1, 2 and 5 of each week
• Insertion of breaks, e.g. 1 to 2 weeks break after about 4 weeks of therapy; if the treatment period is longer, the breaks can be extended from the third year of treatment.
   

If the treatment break lasts 4 weeks or longer, an increased initial reaction may occur when treatment is resumed. It is therefore recommended to start again with the next lower strength or series, e.g.: treatment before the break with Iscador Series II, start after the break with a pack of Series I, then continue treatment with Series II.
If the disease is advanced or if the patient feels worse on the Iscador-free days, it may be advisable to inject 1 ml daily without a break.

The dosage should be reviewed at intervals of 3 to 6 months based on the patient's reaction (see above) and the tumor's behavior.
Dosage in the case of impaired renal function.

There is insufficient data to provide specific dosage recommendations for people with impaired renal function. General experience to date has not shown any need to adjust the dosage.

Duration of use
The treating doctor decides on the duration of use.

In principle, there is no limit to the duration of use. It is determined by the doctor and depends on the risk of recurrence and the individual condition or findings of the patient. It should be several years, with breaks of increasing length usually taken.

If you use more Iscador than you should
If you use more Iscador than you should, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

If you forget to use Iscador
Do not use a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Instead, continue treatment with your normal dose at the next scheduled time.

What Iscador M/P/Qu contains:
The active ingredient is: fermented aqueous extract of Viscum album ssp. album/ssp. austriacum/ssp. album (apple tree mistletoe/pine mistletoe/oak mistletoe).

The strength in mg in the drug name indicates the amount of fresh plant material used to produce one ampoule of Iscador M/P/Qu. Example: “Iscador M 1 mg” contains the extract of 1 mg of fresh apple tree mistletoe herb.

The other ingredients are: sodium chloride, water for injections.