Western Herbalism
Pacific Yew
Taxus brevifolia
Also known as Western Yew.
Pacific Yew acts primarily as: Antineoplastic (paclitaxel - microtubule stabilizer), Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative, Antiangiogenic. Secondary actions include Antineoplastic, Cytotoxic, TOXIC - not for lay internal use.
Ask Herbert about Pacific Yew. Herbert is the master herbalist inside Bountiful Herbs: he answers from this plate and eleven hundred others, with dosing, pairing and cautions. Your first ten questions are free.
Ask HerbertActions
Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Botanical source of paclitaxel (Taxol)
- Pharmaceutical use in ovarian, breast and non-small-cell lung cancer chemotherapy
- Researched whole-plant and Taxus chinensis aqueous extracts in integrative oncology
- Native American topical and ceremonial uses
- NOT a self-administered internal botanical
Safety
Recognised toxicity. This plant carries a toxicity flag in the record; it is for trained practitioners only.
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
Breastfeeding: Lactation (source flag notSafeInLactation)
The record lists 7 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Semisynthesis from 10-deacetylbaccatin III in the renewable needles of Taxus baccata now spares wild bark |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
primary-actions. Pacific Yew acts primarily as: Antineoplastic (paclitaxel - microtubule stabilizer), Cytotoxic, Antiproliferative, Antiangiogenic. Secondary actions include Antineoplastic, Cytotoxic, TOXIC - not for lay internal use.
indications. Pacific Yew is traditionally indicated for: Botanical source of paclitaxel (Taxol), Pharmaceutical use in ovarian, breast and non-small-cell lung cancer chemotherapy, Researched whole-plant and Taxus chinensis aqueous extracts in integrative oncology, Native American topical and ceremonial uses, NOT a self-administered internal botanical.
constituents. Notable constituents of Pacific Yew include: Taxane diterpenes: paclitaxel (taxol), ~0.01-0.04% of dried inner bark, Taxine alkaloids (taxine A and B), Cephalomannine, 10-deacetylbaccatin III, Baccatin III, Lignans (taxiresinol), Taxine B is the principal cardiotoxin.
dose-reference. Reference preparation/dosing for Pacific Yew: Not used as a home tincture or internal botanical; Paclitaxel is a standardized intravenous chemotherapeutic dosed by oncology; Semisynthesis from 10-deacetylbaccatin III in the renewable needles of Taxus baccata now spares wild bark; Any historical decoction/topical use carries serious risk and is not recommended; Listed for pharmacognostic completeness
Nearby on the shelf
Orthosiphon aristatus var. aristatusOrthosiphon aristatus var. aristatus
OshaLigusticum porteri
OsmanthusOsmanthus fragrans
Ox-eye daisyChrysanthemum leucanthemum
PaiglePrimula veris
PapawAsimina
PapayaCarica papayaThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
Open the library, free