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Taxus baccata
Toxic🐾Europäische Eibe · (Taxus baccata)
Yew family (Taxaceae)
Description
Dark green, needle-like leaves and bright red, cup-shaped arils distinguish the European yew from other conifers; needles, seeds and bark are botanically noted from August to October, never for self-collection. The plant contains the cardioactive alkaloids taxine A and B along with small amounts of paclitaxel, 10-deacetylbaccatin III and cyanogenic glycosides. These precursor compounds are used in specialised labs to produce the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, given exclusively as an infusion under oncological supervision; folk tradition also linked yew with circulation and the nervous system. Warning: except for the sweet red aril flesh, the whole plant is highly toxic and can be fatal even in small amounts. Symptoms include dizziness, vomiting, arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. Self-use must be strictly avoided; pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and cardiac patients are especially at risk. If poisoning is suspected, call emergency services at once.
🌿 Risk of confusion — read before wild-harvesting!
HIGHLY TOXIC — LIFE-THREATENING. Taxus baccata contains taxine A and B (cardiotoxic alkaloids) that can cause death even in small amounts. All plant parts except the red aril are toxic. Symptoms of poisoning: dizziness, vomiting, bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest. NO self-application in any form. Paclitaxel as a medicine exclusively under oncological supervision. In case of poisoning: call emergency services (112) and poison control immediately. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): toxic to dogs and cats.
CONTRAINDICATED during pregnancy
Taxine alkaloids are teratogenic and abortifacient. All plant applications during pregnancy are absolutely contraindicated. Even clinical paclitaxel is generally contraindicated in pregnancy.
CONTRAINDICATED during breastfeeding
Taxines may pass into breast milk. All plant applications during lactation are absolutely contraindicated.
CONTRAINDICATED for children
Particularly vulnerable: children are highly sensitive to taxine poisoning. Even a few needles or seeds can be fatal in children. Garden yew hedges represent a significant poisoning risk.
Critical drug interactions with:
Antiarrhythmika / Herzglykoside
The yew is considered one of the oldest culturally significant plants of Europe, carrying deep mythological meaning. As an evergreen, centuries-old tree it symbolises death and rebirth. Typical churchyard plant in Britain and Ireland — clearings around old churches harbour specimens up to 4,000 years old. No medicinal application; ethnobotanical documentation.
Preparation & dosage
Historical documentation only — do NOT use
These internal applications are historically documented. This plant is highly toxic — self-treatment can cause severe poisoning or death. For documentation only, explicitly NOT a recommendation.
Paclitaxel (Taxol), semi-synthetically derived from 10-deacetylbaccatin III (from needles of Taxus baccata and T. brevifolia), is a clinically established cytotoxic drug for ovarian carcinoma, breast cancer, and NSCLC. The purified compound is not applied from the plant directly — this entry documents the pharmaceutical origin of the active substance. Self-treatment with yew preparations is strictly contraindicated.
Preparation & dosage
Homeopathic preparations from Taxus baccata (Taxus mother tincture, potencies) were used in the 19th century according to the homeopathic drug picture for conditions with bladder and kidney irritation as well as gout. No clinical efficacy demonstrated. To be distinguished from conventional paclitaxel.
Preparation & dosage
The red aril (fleshy cup) of the yew is the ONLY non-toxic part of the plant and was occasionally eaten by children. WARNING: The seed inside is highly toxic (taxines). In medieval folk medicine, minute amounts of yew berries were used for heart conditions — a practice that is today absolutely contraindicated and dangerous.
Preparation & dosage
WARNING — HIGHLY TOXIC. Historical records describe yew needles being used as an abortifacient and for self-poisoning (ancient Romans, Celtic warriors before capture). Lethal dose for adults: approx. 50–100 g needles. Taxine A and B inhibit cardiac calcium and sodium channels; death by cardiac arrest. No therapeutic benefit from self-application.
Preparation & dosage
HIGHLY TOXIC — LIFE-THREATENING. Taxus baccata contains taxine A and B (cardiotoxic alkaloids) that can cause death even in small amounts. All plant parts except the red aril are toxic. Symptoms of poisoning: dizziness, vomiting, bradycardia, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest. NO self-application in any form. Paclitaxel as a medicine exclusively under oncological supervision. In case of poisoning: call emergency services (112) and poison control immediately. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): toxic to dogs and cats.
Taxine alkaloids are teratogenic and abortifacient. All plant applications during pregnancy are absolutely contraindicated. Even clinical paclitaxel is generally contraindicated in pregnancy.
Taxines may pass into breast milk. All plant applications during lactation are absolutely contraindicated.
Particularly vulnerable: children are highly sensitive to taxine poisoning. Even a few needles or seeds can be fatal in children. Garden yew hedges represent a significant poisoning risk.
Drug interactions
Antiarrhythmika / Herzglykoside
Taxine A and B inhibit cardiac calcium and sodium channels — additive cardiotoxic effect with concurrent use of cardioactive substances.
CYP3A4-Substrate (klinischer Paclitaxel-Kontext)
Clinical paclitaxel is metabolised via CYP2C8 and CYP3A4. Clinically relevant interactions with CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g. ketoconazole) and inducers (e.g. rifampicin) are possible.
Contraindications
- All internal applications except under medical supervision (clinical paclitaxel)
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Children and adolescents (all non-clinical applications)
- Heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias (increased sensitivity to taxine-induced cardiotoxicity)
- Concurrent use of antiarrhythmics or cardiac glycosides
Harvested part: needles, seeds, bark
- Time of day:
- Morning in dry weather. ONLY for pharmaceutical/scientific purposes with appropriate protective equipment — NO private collection.
- Drying:
- WARNING: Only under laboratory conditions with respiratory protection and gloves. Drying does not substantially increase taxine concentration — plant remains toxic. No private drying.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Only for pharmaceutical extraction. Sealed, dry, dark, out of reach of children and animals. Safety labelling mandatory.
- Time of day:
- Red arils ripen from September; can be safely consumed by birds (thrushes) — seeds excreted undigested. For humans: ONLY the red aril itself (without seed) is non-toxic.
- Drying:
- No drying recommended. Arils consumed fresh (if at all) — seeds contained must be removed and disposed of.
- Taxin AAlkaloidContent: 0,002-0,02 %Leaf
Cardiotoxic alkaloid; inhibits voltage-gated calcium and sodium channels of the myocardium; primarily responsible for lethal cardiac arrhythmias in poisoning.
- Taxin BAlkaloidContent: 0,01-0,05 %Leaf
Dominant taxine alkaloid in European yew; more abundant than taxine A; causes similar channel blockade as taxine A; lead substance of taxine toxicity.
- Paclitaxel (Taxol)AlkaloidContent: 0,001-0,006 %Bark
Diterpene taxane; stabilises microtubules and inhibits cell division; basis of the clinical cancer drug Taxol/Paclitaxel; first isolated from Taxus brevifolia bark, semi-synthesis from T. baccata needles.
- 10-Deacetylbaccatin IIIOtherContent: 0,05-0,1 %Leaf
Biosynthetic precursor of paclitaxel; present in needles of Taxus baccata at higher concentrations than paclitaxel itself; key substrate for the semi-synthesis of paclitaxel and docetaxel at industrial scale.
- Baccatin IIIOtherLeaf
Further taxane diterpene precursor; present in low concentration in yew plants; also used as starting material for Taxol semi-synthesis.
- Cyanogene Glycoside (Taxiphyllin)GlycosideSeed
Taxiphyllin in seeds; hydrolyses to hydrogen cyanide (HCN); contributes to acute toxicity when seeds are crushed — intact seeds sometimes pass the digestive tract undigested.
- Flavonoide (Sciadopitysin, Ginkgetin)FlavonoidLeaf
Biflavonoids of the amentoflavone type; antioxidant properties in vitro; ecologically relevant, therapeutically subordinate to the taxine alkaloids.
- Ephedrin (Spurenmengen)AlkaloidLeaf
Detected in very low concentrations in yew needles; sympathomimetic; clinically irrelevant at occurring amounts, however detectable in poisoning analyses.
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- [2]MonographSeewaldt et al. (1994): Paclitaxel (Taxol) treatment for refractory ovarian cancer: Phase II clinical trial. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.(accessed: 2026-05-24)
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- [9]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — English Yew (Taxus baccata)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
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- [8]BookAllen & Hatfield (2004): Medicinal Plants in Folk Tradition — An Ethnobotany of Britain and Ireland. Timber Press. ISBN 978-0-88192-638-5.(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [5]WikipediaWikipedia DE: Europäische Eibe (Taxus baccata)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [6]WikipediaWikipedia EN: Taxus baccata(accessed: 2026-05-24)