Properties: Bitter, pungent, highly toxic
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Kidney, Heart
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Clears Heat, dries Dampness, resolves Toxicity and expels Parasites
Ovarian, breast, brain and lung cancers (see constituents)
In Europe, Yew has historically been used to treat tapeworms, swollen tonsils, seizures and rheumatism
Suggested Daily Dosage: Due to high toxicity there is no clear documentation of dosages and preparations but probably would have been used in gradually incremental doses. Using the refined drug paclitaxel is advised at present.
Cautions: Leaves, berries and branches are all highly toxic. Signs of toxicity include headaches, faltering pulse, coldness of the extremities, diarrhea and death.
Notable Constituents:
- Paclitaxel / Taxol
Antineoplastic agent which acts by inhibition of cellular mitosis, currently playing a central role in the chemotherapy of ovarian, breast, and lung cancer.
- Taxine
Toxic alkaloid calcium and sodium channel agonists responsible for the toxicity of the fruits and seeds. Taxus baccata and Taxus cuspidata contain the most.
Notes:
Hong Dou Shan, 红豆杉 refers to Chinese Yew, Taxus chinensis;
Duan Ye Hong Dou Shan, 短叶红豆杉 refers to Pacific Yew, Taxus brevifolia;
Jiang Guo Zi Shan, 浆果紫杉 refers to the common Yew, Taxus baccata
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, has been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
