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| Taxus baccata 'Stricta' |
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Accession Number: 184274*1 Map | |
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Medicinal uses: You might be wondering at this point, what is yew used for that won’t kill you? The berries of the tree, which are not poisonous, have expectorant properties, making them an effective treatment for cold or cough. The berries are also a purgative but can also raise blood pressure. Any form of yew berry taken should be under medical supervision and in small doses. The bark of the yew tree has also been found to contain the compound Taxol, which both American and French researchers discovered prevents tumor cells from reproducing. Studies show that Taxol is effective in treating cancer, but the yew trees carry it in so small amounts, that most medical sources are made in a laboratory. Some homeopaths have made a tincture out of the yew to combat a variety of diseases: cystitis, eruptions, headache, neuralgia, heart and kidney problems, and gout. Mythology/Folklore: Be wary of this tree, for everything except the red berries are extremely poisonous. The ancient Celts used to poison their arrows with the juice of the tree to paralyze their victims. In her novel, Pocketful of Rye, mystery writer Agatha Christie, uses the poison taxine derived from the yew tree, to dispatch one of her characters. Taxine is an alkaloid made by the tree, and when ingested it causes convulsions, nervous paralysis, disorders of the heartbeat rhythm, and possible death. It’s no surprise that another name for the yew tree is the “death-tree.” However, the ancient druids considered it a sacred emblem of immortality. They planted yews at holy sites, including graveyards over 2,000 years ago! Poem about the Yew: “Yew Trees” By William Wordsworth (an excerpt) :“There is a Yew-tree, pride of Lorton Vale,/Which to this day stands single, in the midst/Of its own darkness, as it stood of yore:/Not loathe to furnish weapons for the Bands/Of Umfraville or Percy ere they marched/To Scotland's heaths; or those that crossed the sea/And drew their sounding bows at Azincour,/Perhaps at earlier Crecy, or Poictiers.” Culture: (from staff horticulturalist Loddie Dolinski) Our Yew trees have been at Denver Botanic Gardens forever! It’s best to establish this tree with a cutting as opposed to a seed. It needs basic maintenance once it’s been established. Our trees grow in mostly shade. |
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