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Uses of Yew Sap

Yews are poisonous; ingestion results in abdominal cramping, dry mouth, dizziness and mydriasis, or blown pupil -- dilation of the pupil so it stays large even in bright light. If you ingest yew, you may also become pale and break out in a rash, and your skin can become cyanotic. Ingestion of yew leaves or tea brewed from yew can also result in death from cardiac or respiratory failure.

  1. Nerve Poison

    • The yew tree is coniferous and sports red, berrylike fruit. Yew is used to make longbows and cabinets and is believed to represent living to a great age. The ancient Celts coated their arrows with yew sap because it was a nerve poison. This arrow of poison was used to poison mammals and fish, for assassinations and as a tool to commit suicide.

    Treating Medical Conditions

    • The yew plant has been used to treat urinary tract infections, rheumatism and liver conditions. Historically, yew was used to stimulate the heart and as an abortifacient. Recently, it has been used to treat cancer. The flesh of the berries can be used as a diuretic and laxative, according to Shee-eire.com. Paclitaxel is an anti-cancer agent that is derived from yews. It inhibits cell replication by causing mitotic abnormalities and arrest and promoting microtuble polymerization, according to Drugs.com. Paclitaxel is an anti-tumor agent.

    Antieoplastic

    • Long used in herbal medicine, the yew plant is heralded for its antieoplastic activity. Antieoplastic means that the yew is a drug that inhibits or prevents the maturation and spread of neoplasms in the body that may become malignant. The yew plant contains taxane alkaloids.Taxol is taken from the leaves of cultivated species. The FDA approved the marketing of Taxol 4, a taxane, to be used as an antieoplastic agent for breast and ovarian cancer treatment.

    Ingestion

    • When someone ingests yew, his stomach must be emptied and charcoal slurry administered. Yew is a common foundation planting in North America. There have been numerous reports of animals and children being poisoned after ingested yew because the entire plant, with the exception of the soft part of the red fruit, is toxic; the seeds of the fruit also are toxic.The dried leaves of the yew are more toxic than fresh leaves.

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