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botanical illustration of Common Yew, Taxus baccata

botanical record · discovered

Common Yew

Taxus baccata

Common Yew · Almindelig taks · Canada yew · Eibe · English yew · European Yew · European yew · Europäische Eibe

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Turkey, India, US, Egypt, Spain, Europe

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Ache(Head), Bilious, Calculus, Carminative

Science studied: BACCATIN, BACCATIN-3, BACCATIN-5, BACCATINE

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Taxaceae

Scientific name: Taxus baccata

Common names: Common Yew, Almindelig taks, Canada yew, Eibe, English yew, European Yew, European yew, Europäische Eibe

History

The source record documents this plant in Elsewhere, Turkey, India, US, Egypt, Spain, Europe.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

  • Ache(Head)
  • Bilious
  • Calculus
  • Carminative
  • Contraceptive
  • Cyanogenetic
  • Dentifrice
  • Emmenagogue
show 21 more documented entries
  • Epilepsy
  • Expectorant
  • Hair-Oil
  • Hysteria
  • Medicine
  • Nerves
  • Pectoral
  • Poison
  • Sedative
  • Spasm
  • Stomachic
  • Tea
  • Tonic
  • Antifertility
  • Debility
  • Abortifacient
  • Cancer
  • Giddiness
  • Insecticide
  • Lithontriptic
  • Vermifuge

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

  • Elsewhere
  • Turkey
  • India
  • US
  • Egypt
  • Spain
  • Europe

Documented cultural uses

  • Ache(Head)
  • Bilious
  • Calculus
  • Carminative
  • Contraceptive
  • Cyanogenetic
  • Dentifrice
  • Emmenagogue
  • Epilepsy
  • Expectorant
  • Hair-Oil
  • Hysteria
show 17 more documented entries
  • Medicine
  • Nerves
  • Pectoral
  • Poison
  • Sedative
  • Spasm
  • Stomachic
  • Tea
  • Tonic
  • Antifertility
  • Debility
  • Abortifacient
  • Cancer
  • Giddiness
  • Insecticide
  • Lithontriptic
  • Vermifuge

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

  • [Volontary poisoning with yew ( Taxus baccata) : a fatal case]. · 2026 source ↗
  • Ontogenetic shifts and architectural plasticity define the regeneration niche of Taxus baccata at its southern dry limit · 2026 source ↗
  • Heritability of early seedling growth in Taxus baccata, a declining conifer. · 2025 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

  • BACCATIN
  • BACCATIN-3
  • BACCATIN-5
  • BACCATINE
  • 5-DEACETYL-BACCATIN-1
  • 10-DEACETYLCEPHALOMANNINE
  • 1-DEHYDROXYBACCATIN-4
  • 3,4-DIVANILLYLTETRAHYDROFURAN
  • EPHEDRINE
  • FORMIC-ACID
  • HCN
  • ISOLARICIRESINOL
  • ISOTAXIRESINOL
  • ISOTAXIRESINOL-6-METHYL-ETHER
  • MYOINOSITOL-P-COUMARIC-ESTER
  • RHODOXANTHIN
show 90 more documented entries
  • SCHIKIMIC-ACID
  • SEQUOIAFLAVONE
  • BETA-SITOSTEROL
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-5ALPHA,9-ALPHA,10BETA,13ALPHA-TETRAOL-9,10-DIACETATE
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-2ALPHA,5ALPHA,7BETA,9ALPHA,10BETA,13ALPHA-HEXAOL-HEXACETATE
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-2ALPHA,5ALPHA,7BETA,10BETA-TETRAOL-5,7,10-TRIACETATE-2ALPHA-METHYL-BUTYRATE
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-2ALPHA,5ALPHA,7BETA,9ALPHA,10BETA-PENTAOL-7,9,10-TRIACETATE
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-2ALPHA,5ALPHA,7BETA,9ALPHA,10BETA-PENTAOL-5,7,9,10-TETRAACETATE
  • TAXICATIN
  • TAXACATINE
  • TAXINE-A
  • TAXINE-B
  • TAXIRESINOL
  • TAXUSIN
  • TETRAOL
  • BACCATIN-4
  • BACCATIN-7
  • 10-DEACETYLTAXANE
  • ECDYSTERONE
  • FERREDOXIN
  • GINKGETIN
  • 19-HYDROXYBACCATIN
  • ISOTAXIRESINOL-SECOISOLARICIRESINOL
  • TAXOL
  • TOXIM
  • ZEAXANTHIN
  • (+)-ABSCISSIC-ACID
  • BACCATIN-2
  • BACCATIN-6
  • CEPHALOMANNINE
  • (S)-DHURRINE
  • ESCHESCHOLTZXANTHONE
  • ISOTRIGLOCHININE
  • LYCOPENE
  • RESINS
  • SCIADOPITYSIN
  • SOTETSUFLAVONE
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-2ALPHA,5ALPHA,9ALPHA,10BETA,13ALPHA-PENTAOL-PENTACETATE
  • TAXIGIFINE
  • TAXOL-A
  • TRIGLOCHININE
  • BETA-CAROTENE
  • 1BETA-HYDROXYBACCATIN-1
  • 10-DEACETYLBACCATIN
  • 13-DECINNAMOYLTAXICHINNIN-B
  • 3-DEMETHYL-(-)-SECOISOLARICIRESINOL
  • 4'-O-DEMETHYLSUCHILACTONE
  • ALPHA-CONIDENDRIN
  • BACCATIN-1
  • BENZOIC-ACID
  • BETA-RESORCYLIC-ACID
  • 4BETULOSIDE
  • BREVIFOLIOL
  • CAFFEIC-ACID
  • CHINIC-ACID
  • CINNAMIC-ACID
  • FERULIC-ACID
  • GALLIC-ACID
  • GAMMA-RESORCYLIC-ACID
  • GENTISIC-ACID
  • HOMOPROTOCATECHUIC-ACID
  • KAYAFLAVONE
  • LACTONE-DIOL
  • M-HYDROXYBENZOIC-ACID
  • P-COUMARIC-ACID
  • P-HYDROXY-BENZOIC-ACID
  • P-HDYROXYPHENYLACETIC-ACID
  • PHLOROGLUCINIC-ACID
  • PROTOCATECHUIC-ACID
  • PYROCATECHUIC-ACID
  • QUINIC-ACID
  • SALICYLIC-ACID
  • SEQUOYITOL
  • SUCHILACTONE
  • SYRINGIC-ACID
  • TANNIC-ACID
  • TAXA-4(20),11-DIENE-5ALPHA,7BETA,9ALPHA,10BETA,13ALPHA-PENTAOL-PENTACETATE
  • TAXIPHYLLIN
  • TAXOL-B
  • TAXUSIDE
  • VANILLIC-ACID
  • (R)-TAXIPHYLLINE
  • BETULOSIDE
  • (-)-2-(3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYBENZYL-3-(3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYBENZYLIDENE)-BUTANE-1,4-DIOL
  • (-)-HIBALACTONE
  • (-)-ISOHIBALACTONE
  • (-)-MATAIRESINOL
  • (-)-RHODODENDRIN
  • (-)-RHODODENDROL
  • (-)-SECOISOLARICIRESINOL

Legality

Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.

Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.

Reference images

Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata · Dominicus Johannes Bergsma

Sources

Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0

GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0

show claim source mapping
  • identity · DH-SRC-0030
  • documented_uses · DH-SRC-0030
  • compounds · DH-SRC-0030
  • taxonomy · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
  • common_names · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗
  • countries · DH-SRC-GBIF · source ↗

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.

Dear Herb is a living journal of botanical knowledge. Its records grow through research, historical discovery, and community contributions.

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