Radiation Oncology/Drugs/Ethnopharmacologic therapeutic agent/Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia)


 * Pacific yew is native to the Coast Range of British Columbia and the northwest coast of the United States
 * It is also found in a few areas farther inland
 * Local First Nations identified Pacific yew as a plant with medicinal properties, making teas from the needles and bark, and applying crushed needles to wounds
 * They also used the extremely hard wood for implements that needed to withstand strain, such as fishhooks and paddles
 * In 1971, researchers identified a chemical compound in Pacific yew called paclitaxel
 * It was later approved for use against ovarian and certain types of beast cancer and is sold under the trade name Taxol®
 * It is now also approved for use against an AIDS-related cancer
 * Research continues into other medical uses for paclitaxel and also for new compounds derived from or related to it
 * D G Kingston et al. J Nat Prod. Jul-Aug 1982. New taxanes from Taxus brevifolia ( 7130988)