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Difference between revisions of "Taxus brevifolia - Pacific yew"

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Taxus brevifolia <ref name="Taxus brevifolia" />, the Pacific yew or western yew, is a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It ranges from southernmost Alaska south to central California, mostly in the Pacific Coast Ranges, but with isolated disjunct populations in southeast British Columbia (most notably occurring on Zuckerberg Island near Castlegar) and in north to central Idaho.
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'''Taxus brevifolia''' is a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It ranges from southernmost Alaska south to central California, mostly in the Pacific Coast Ranges, but with isolated disjunct populations in southeast British Columbia in north to central Idaho.
  
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==Uses==
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{{Uses|Diphtheria}}, {{Uses|Tapeworms,}}, {{Uses|Swollen tonsils}}, {{Uses|Seizures}}, {{Uses|Muscle and joint pain}}, {{Uses|Urinary tract conditions}}, {{Uses|liver conditions}}, {{Uses|Breast cancer}}, {{Uses|Ovarian cancer}}, {{Uses|Causing abortions}}.
  
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== Characteristics ==
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==Parts Used==
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{{Parts Used|Fruits}}, {{Parts Used|Seeds}}.
  
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The Pacific yew is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, growing 10–15 m tall and with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter, rarely more. In some instances, trees with heights in excess of 20 m occur in parks and other protected areas, quite often in gullies. The tree is extremely slow growing, and has a habit of rotting from the inside, creating hollow forms. This makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to make accurate rings counts to determine a specimen's true age. Often damaged by succession of the forest, it usually ends up in a squat, multiple leader form.
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==Chemical Composition==
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The Pacific yew is poisonous because it contains at least 11 alkaloids, known collectively as taxines. The structure of only two of the alkaloid constituents is known: taxine A, which accounts for 30%, and taxine B, which accounts for 2%. Paclitaxel (Figure 128-1) is a pseudoalkaloid but not a constituent of taxine because its nitrogen is acylated with benzoic acid and has no basic principle<ref name="chemical composition"/>
  
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It has thin scaly brown bark, covering a thin layer of off-white sap wood with a darker heartwood that varies in color from brown to a magenta/purplish hue. The leaves are lanceolate, flat, dark green, 1–3 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.
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==Common names==
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{{Common names|kn=|ml=|sa=|ta=|te=|hi=|en=Agrimony}}
  
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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 are mature 6–9 months after pollination. The seeds contained in the arils are eaten by thrushes and other birds, which disperse the hard seeds undamaged in their droppings; maturation of the arils is spread over 2–3 months, increasing the chances of successful seed dispersal. The male cones are globose, 3–6 mm diameter, and shed their pollen in early spring. It is mostly dioecious, but occasional individuals can be variably monoecious, or change sex with time.
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==Properties==
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Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.
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===Dravya===
  
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===Rasa===
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Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)
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===Guna===
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Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)
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===Veerya===
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Ushna (Hot)
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===Vipaka===
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Katu (Pungent)
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===Karma===
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Kapha, Vata
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===Prabhava===
  
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== Uses ==
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==Habit==
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{{Habit|Herb}}
  
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Traditionally, the wood was used by Native Americans to make bows and paddles for canoes, in addition many other items from daily life. The Japanese have also used the wood for decorative purposes.
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==Identification==
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===Leaf===
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{{Leaf|Simple|Alternate|Evergreen needles, single, spirally arranged}}<ref name="Leaf"/>
  
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Members of the Pit River Tribe would sell this plant to the Ukiah.
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===Flower===
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{{Flower|Unisexual|2-4cm long|Yellow|5-20|Species is dioecious; male flowers are small, round, and yellow and are borne on the undersides of the leaves}}
  
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The Concow tribe calls the tree yōl’-kō (Konkow language).
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===Fruit===
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{{Fruit|round|1/4 inch long|clearly grooved lengthwise, Lowest hooked hairs aligned towards crown|fleshy, orange-red|hard seed}}
  
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===Other features===
  
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==List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used==
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* [[Vishatinduka Taila]] as ''root juice extract''
  
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== Medicinal uses ==
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==Where to get the saplings==
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==Mode of Propagation==
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{{Propagation|Seeds}}, {{Propagation|Cuttings}}.
  
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The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel (taxol), used in breast, ovarian, and lung cancer treatment, is derived from Taxus brevifolia. As it was already becoming scarce when its chemotherapeutic potential was realized, the Pacific yew was never commercially harvested from its habitat at a large scale; the widespread use of the paclitaxel (taxol) was enabled when a semi-synthetic pathway was developed from extracts of cultivated yews of other species. Unlicensed pharmaceutical production use of closely related wild yew species in India and China may be threatening some of those species.
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==How to plant/cultivate==
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Thrives in almost any soil, acid or alkaline, as long as it is well-drained<ref name="How to plant/cultivate"/>
  
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==Common name==
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==Commonly seen growing in areas==
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{{Commonly seen|Banks of mountain streams}}, {{Commonly seen|Deep gorges and ravines}}, {{Commonly seen|Borders of forests and fields}}.
  
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* '''English''' -  Pacific yew
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==Photo Gallery==
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<gallery class="left" caption="" widths="140px" heights="140px">
  
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== References ==
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Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew) - Flickr - brewbooks (1).jpg
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<references><ref name="Taxus brevifolia">[http://rht777.wixsite.com/22777/medicinal-plants-iv "wixsite"]</ref>
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Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew) - Flickr - brewbooks (2).jpg
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Pacific yew.jpg
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PacificYew 7591.jpg
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</gallery>
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==References==
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<references>  
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<ref name="chemical composition">[https://clinicalgate.com/taxus-brevifolia-pacific-yew/ "Chemical constituents"]</ref>
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<ref name="Leaf">[http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=259 "plant decsription"]</ref>
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<ref name="How to plant/cultivate">[https://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Taxus+brevifolia "Cultivation details"]</ref>
 
</references>
 
</references>
  
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==External Links==
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* [http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/t/taxus-brevifolia=pacific-yew.php ]
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* [http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2011/roberts_cass/Medical%20Uses.htm]
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* [https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-802/yew]
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* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4142453/ Ethnomedical Properties of Taxus Wallichiana Zucc]
  
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== External Links ==
 
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxus_brevifolia "wikipedia"]
 
  
 
[[Category:Herbs]]
 
[[Category:Herbs]]

Revision as of 10:29, 11 June 2018

Taxus brevifolia


Taxus brevifolia is a conifer native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It ranges from southernmost Alaska south to central California, mostly in the Pacific Coast Ranges, but with isolated disjunct populations in southeast British Columbia in north to central Idaho.

Uses

Diphtheria, Tapeworms,, Swollen tonsils, Seizures, Muscle and joint pain, Urinary tract conditions, liver conditions, Breast cancer, Ovarian cancer, Causing abortions.

Parts Used

Fruits, Seeds.

Chemical Composition

The Pacific yew is poisonous because it contains at least 11 alkaloids, known collectively as taxines. The structure of only two of the alkaloid constituents is known: taxine A, which accounts for 30%, and taxine B, which accounts for 2%. Paclitaxel (Figure 128-1) is a pseudoalkaloid but not a constituent of taxine because its nitrogen is acylated with benzoic acid and has no basic principle[1]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada
Hindi
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit
English Agrimony


Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Prabhava

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple Alternate Evergreen needles, single, spirally arranged

[2]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Unisexual 2-4cm long Yellow 5-20 Species is dioecious; male flowers are small, round, and yellow and are borne on the undersides of the leaves

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
round 1/4 inch long clearly grooved lengthwise, Lowest hooked hairs aligned towards crown fleshy, orange-red hard seed {{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Thrives in almost any soil, acid or alkaline, as long as it is well-drained[3]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Banks of mountain streams, Deep gorges and ravines, Borders of forests and fields.

Photo Gallery

  • Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew) - Flickr - brewbooks (1).jpg
  • Taxus brevifolia (Pacific yew) - Flickr - brewbooks (2).jpg
  • Pacific yew.jpg
  • PacificYew 7591.jpg

References

  1. ↑ "Chemical constituents"
  2. ↑ "plant decsription"
  3. ↑ "Cultivation details"

External Links

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