Yew contains a mixture of alkaloids known as
taxine, diterpenes, lignans and resin, it is toxic in all parts except the aril.
Chemical constituents: Contains paclitaxel,
taxine A and B, taxicatin, milossine, and ephedrine.
Every bit of the English yew has toxic
taxine alkaloids except the berry flesh.
Some animal species (horses) do not tolerate its use, due to
taxine (a toxic secondary metabolite), but other ruminants (sheep, goats) and wild animals (deer, and roe deer) can browse the yew, consuming green shoots, which could finally lead to the death of the plant.
The leaves and seeds of Taxus or yew trees contain
taxine alkaloids with both sodium and calcium channel blocking activity and digoxin toxicity-like effects, particularly a predisposition to hyperkalemia and ventricular tachydysrhythmias.
taxine A baccata (1994)
Taxine B Taxus Ettouati etal.
The alkaloid
taxine is very poisonous and is found in highest quantities in Japanese and English yew (T.
* Yews contain
taxine, a poisonous alkaloid that can cause severe heartbeat irregularities.
During the work, Castle Morpeth Borough Council staff found that yew trees contained
taxine, which is used to make the anti-cancer drug Taxol.
An addendum contains those chemicals apparently added late in the publishing cycle, which in this edition are aripi-prazole, atomoxetine, embutramide, epoetin alfa, escitalopram, tadalafil, and
taxine. The contents at the beginning list page numbers for the chemicals as they appear in the book, but the reader may find the index at the end more helpful because its alphabetical listing includes those chemicals in the addendum and also contains multiple page listings for classes of chemicals such as benzodiazepines, chemical warfare agents, chemotherapeutic agents, metals, and quaternary ammonium compounds.
Taxine I, The major alkaloid of the yew, Taxus baccata L.
taxine: Drug that inhibits cell growth by stopping cell division; used as treatment for cancer; also called antimitotic or antimicrotubule agents or mitotic inhibitors.