Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties | Biochemical Information
Legends, Myths and Stories | Uses | Formulas or Dosages | How Sold | Warning | Conservation Status | Resource Links
Scientific Names
- Taxus wallichiana
- Taxus baccata
- Taxus cuspidata
Common Names
- Himalayan Yew
- English Yew
- European Yew
- Common Yew
- Thuner (Western Himalaya)
- Sorkhdār (Persian, meaning “the red tree”)
- Kseh Blei (Local)
Parts Usually Used
The bark, leaves, and needles. The seed-bearing red arils have also been used, though the seeds themselves are highly toxic.
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Himalayan Yew is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, growing 10-20 m tall (exceptionally up to 28 m), with a trunk up to 2 m in diameter. The bark is thin, scaly brown, coming off in small flakes aligned with the stem. The leaves are flat, dark green, lanceolate, 1-4 cm long and 2-3 mm broad, arranged spirally on the stem, but with the leaf bases twisted to align the leaves in two flat rows either side of the stem, except on erect leading shoots where the spiral arrangement is more obvious.
The seed cones are highly modified; each cone containing a single seed 4-7 mm long partly surrounded by a modified scale which develops into a soft, bright red berry-like structure called an aril, 8-15 mm long and wide and open at the end. The arils mature 6 to 9 months after pollination and are dispersed by birds that eat the sweet, fleshy aril and excrete the seeds.
Propagation is done through seeds or cuttings. Seed germination is very slow, often taking 2 or more years. Seeds are best sown when ripe in autumn. Cuttings of half-ripe terminal shoots taken in July/August in a shaded frame should root by late September.
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Where Found
Himalayan Yew is native to the temperate Himalayan regions at altitudes between 1800 and 3300 meters above sea level. It is found in Northern India (especially in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve of Garhwal Himalayas), Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and extends to the hills of Meghalaya and Manipur at an altitude of 1500 m. It grows particularly on the north to north-west slopes.
The European yew (Taxus baccata) is native to Western, Central and Southern Europe, Northwest Africa, Northern Iran, and Southwest Asia. The species is often found in moist forest or slopes, and in mountains of the Mediterranean region.
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Medicinal Properties
The Himalayan yew possesses numerous medicinal properties:
- Anticancer: Contains taxol and related bioactive taxoids, which are potent anticancer compounds
- Anti-inflammatory: Extracts show significant anti-inflammatory effects in various models
- Analgesic: Demonstrated pain-relieving properties
- Antipyretic: Effective in reducing fever
- Anticonvulsant: Controls convulsions in experimental models
- Antibacterial: Active against various bacterial strains
- Antifungal: Effective against fungal infections
- Immunomodulatory: Affects immune system function
- Antiallergic: Reduces allergic responses
- Antiosteoporotic: May help prevent bone loss
- Antiplatelet: Affects blood platelet function
- Antispasmodic: Reduces muscle spasms
These properties are attributed to various compounds found in the plant, including taxol, taxoids, phenols, polyphenols, tannins, saponins, anthraquinones, alkaloids, steroids, and diterpenes.
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Biochemical Information
The most important active compounds in Himalayan Yew include:
- Taxol (Paclitaxel)**: A highly substituted polyoxygenated cyclic diterpenoid characterized by the taxane ring, which has potent anticancer properties
- Tasumatrol B: Exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities
- 1,13-diacetyl-10-deacetylbaccatin III (10-DAD): Shows anti-inflammatory properties
- 4-deacetylbaccatin III (4-DAB): Has anti-inflammatory effects
- Taxusabietane A: Demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity
- Taxiresinol: Shows notable anticancer activity against liver, colon, ovarian, and breast cancer cell lines
- Isotaxiresinol: Has anticancer properties
- Secoisolariciresinol: Possesses anticancer activity
- Bilobetin: A biflavone with antifungal activity
- Taxine alkaloids: Toxic compounds with cardiotoxic effects
Legends, Myths and Stories
Yew trees have deep connections with religion, mythology, and cultural symbolism. They are associated with churchyards in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern France, with at least 500 churchyards containing yew trees older than the buildings themselves. It is thought that yews were planted on graves of plague victims to purify the dead and in churchyards to prevent livestock grazing since yew is poisonous to animals.
Yew trees symbolize both immortality and doom. In Asturian tradition and culture, the yew tree was considered linked with the land, people, ancestors, and ancient religion. It was tradition on All Saints’ Day to bring a branch of a yew tree to the tombs of those who had died recently to guide them to the Land of Shadows.
In Norse cosmology, the tree Yggdrasil has traditionally been interpreted as a giant ash tree, but some scholars now believe it may have been a European yew. In Celtic culture, the yew tree (*eburos) had extraordinary importance. Historical accounts mention Celtic chiefs poisoning themselves with yew rather than submitting to Roman rule.
In the Crann Ogham (the ancient Irish Ogham alphabet consisting of a list of trees), yew is the last in the main list of 20 trees, primarily symbolizing death but also representing the eternal soul that survives death to be reborn.
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Uses
Himalayan Yew has been used in traditional medicine systems for various purposes:
- Traditional medicine: Used in Ayurveda, Unani, and other traditional systems for treating common cold, cough, fever, pain, and inflammation
- Respiratory conditions: Consumed as decoctions, herbal tea, and juice for treating cold, cough, and respiratory infections
- Digestive issues: Used for treating indigestion
- Neurological conditions: Applied for treating epilepsy
- Wounds and pain: Applied as poultice on infected wounds and burns
- Rheumatism: Bark and leaves used in steam baths to treat rheumatism
- Fractures and headaches: Paste made from bark used to treat fractures and headaches
- Tuberculosis: Decoction of the stem used in treatment (in Pakistan)
- Various ailments: In Unani medicine, prescribed as a sedative, aphrodisiac, and treatment for bronchitis, asthma, epilepsy, snake bite, and scorpion stings
- Hair treatments: Extracts used in medicinal hair oils
- Modern medicine: Source of taxol, a potent anticancer drug used in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers
Beyond medicinal uses, Himalayan Yew has been used for:
- Woodworking: The timber is incredibly strong and durable, traditionally used for turnery, longbows, and tool handles
- Archaeological significance: One of the world’s oldest surviving wooden artifacts is a yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old
- Religious ceremonies: Branches used in various religious and funeral ceremonies
Formulas or Dosages
Traditional preparations of Himalayan Yew include:
- Decoctions: The stem or bark is boiled in water and consumed for various ailments
- Herbal tea: Prepared from leaves and consumed for respiratory conditions
- Juice: Extracted from parts of the plant and consumed
- Poultice: Applied locally on infected wounds and burns
- Steam baths: Bark and leaves used in steam baths for rheumatism
- Paste: Prepared from bark and applied to treat fractures and headaches
- Tincture: Young shoots used to prepare tincture for headache, giddiness, and other conditions
Specific dosages are not well-established scientifically, and due to its toxicity, any medicinal use should be under professional supervision.
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How Sold
Himalayan Yew is commercially available in various forms:
- As raw bark and leaves
- In herbal formulations
- As pharmaceutical preparations containing taxol (paclitaxel) or docetaxel for cancer treatment
- In some traditional medicine preparations
Due to its endangered status, trade in raw Himalayan Yew is increasingly regulated in many countries.
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Warning
Himalayan Yew is highly toxic and should be used with extreme caution:
- All parts of the plant, except the fleshy red aril (but not the seed inside it), contain toxic taxine alkaloids and are poisonous if ingested
- The seeds are especially poisonous and can be fatal if consumed
- Even inhaling sawdust from yew wood can be toxic
- Toxins can be absorbed through the skin, so handling should be done with care, preferably with gloves
- The plant is particularly dangerous to livestock and pets
- There are currently no known antidotes for yew poisoning
- The plant should never be used for self-medication due to its extreme toxicity
- Due to its toxicity and potential interactions, any medicinal use should only be under the strict supervision of qualified healthcare practitioners
- Male yews are extremely allergenic, releasing abundant pollen in spring (OPALS allergy scale rating of 10 out of 10)
Conservation Status
Himalayan Yew is considered endangered in much of its native range due to:
- Overexploitation for taxol extraction
- Habitat destruction
- Climate change effects at higher altitudes
- Slow growth and regeneration rates
- Destruction for timber and other uses
Conservation efforts include:
- Cultivation programs in protected areas
- Biotechnological approaches for propagation
- Restrictions on harvesting from the wild
- Collection of genetic material for preservation (like the Yew Conservation Hedge Project in the UK)
- Sustainable harvesting practices development
In some regions, wild harvest of Himalayan Yew has been prohibited to protect remaining populations.
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Resource Links
Himalayan Medicinal Plants Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment and Research
NC State Extension – Taxus baccata
Plants For A Future – Taxus baccata – L.
Bellarmine University – English Yew
University of Oxford – Taxus baccata L. (Taxaceae)
National Library of Medicine – Ethnomedical Properties of Taxus Wallichiana Zucc. (Himalayan Yew)
