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Yew: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions

Yew

Other Name(s):

Arbre Sacré des Druides, Chinwood, Common Yew, English Yew, Himalayan Yew, If, If à Baies, If Commun, If de l'Himalaya, If de l'Ouest, Ifreteau, Pacific Yew, Taleespatra, Talispatra, Taxus baccata, Taxus brevifolia, Tejo, Western Yew.

Overview

Yew is a tree. People use the bark, branch tips, and needles to make medicine.

Despite serious safety concerns, yew is used for treating diphtheria, tapeworms, swollen tonsils (tonsillitis), seizures (epilepsy), muscle and joint pain (rheumatism), urinary tract conditions, and liver conditions. Women use it for starting menstruation and causing abortions.

Pharmaceutical companies make paclitaxel (Taxol), a prescription drug for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer, from the bark of the yew tree. They extract paclitaxel, leaving the poisonous chemicals in yew behind.

How does work?

Yew might affect various parts of the body including nerves, the heart, and muscles.

Uses

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

  • Menstrual disorders.
  • Abortion.
  • Tapeworms.
  • Swollen tonsils.
  • Epilepsy (seizures).
  • Kidney problems.
  • Liver problems.
  • Cancer.
  • Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of yew for these uses.

QUESTION

Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See Answer

Side Effects

Yew is LIKELY UNSAFE for people. All parts of the yew plant are considered poisonous. Yew can cause severe stomach problems and can cause the heart rate to slow down or speed up dangerously. Signs of poisoning might include nausea, dry mouth, vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, heart problems, and many others. Death has occurred after taking 50-100 grams of yew needles.

Precautions

It is LIKELY UNSAFE for anyone to take yew, but some people have extra reasons not to use it:

Children: It is UNSAFE for children to eat the berries or needles of yew. Swallowing one berry can be fatal in a child. Eating the berries or needles can cause the heart to beat dangerously slow or fast.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It is UNSAFE for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding to take yew. Yew needles might cause an abortion. Also, taking the needles can poison the mother.

Dosing

The appropriate dose of yew depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for yew. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

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Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

References

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Burris, H. A., III, Fields, S., and Peacock, N. Docetaxel (Taxotere) in combination: a step forward. Semin.Oncol. 1995;22(6 Suppl 13):35-40. View abstract.

Chattopadhyay, S. K., Pal, A., Maulik, P. R., Kaur, T., Garg, A., and Khanuja, S. P. Taxoid from the needles of the Himalayan yew Taxus wallichiana with cytotoxic and immunomodulatory activities. Bioorg.Med Chem Lett 5-1-2006;16(9):2446-2449. View abstract.

Choi, S. K., Oh, H. M., Lee, S. K., Jeong, D. G., Ryu, S. E., Son, K. H., Han, D. C., Sung, N. D., Baek, N. I., and Kwon, B. M. Biflavonoids inhibited phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3). Nat Prod.Res 2006;20(4):341-346. View abstract.

Cummins, R. O., Haulman, J., Quan, L., Graves, J. R., Peterson, D., and Horan, S. Near-fatal yew berry intoxication treated with external cardiac pacing and digoxin-specific FAB antibody fragments. Ann.Emerg.Med. 1990;19(1):38-43. View abstract.

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Wilson, C. R., Sauer, J., and Hooser, S. B. Taxines: a review of the mechanism and toxicity of yew (Taxus spp.) alkaloids. Toxicon 2001;39(2-3):175-185. View abstract.

Yersin, B., Frey, J. G., Schaller, M. D., Nicod, P., and Perret, C. Fatal cardiac arrhythmias and shock following yew leaves ingestion. Ann.Emerg.Med. 1987;16(12):1396-1397. View abstract.

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Van IG, Visser R, Peltenburg H, et al. Sudden unexpected death due to Taxus poisoning. A report of five cases, with review of the literature. Forensic Sci Int 1992;56:81-7. View abstract.