Botanical species · safety record

Taxus baccata

The EFSA Compendium of Botanicals holds 6 constituent measurements and 26 adverse-effect records for Taxus baccata. This page reports what those source records contain and how to reach them. It carries no effect estimate, no dose and no recommendation.

Accepted name in source: Taxus baccata L.

6Constituent measurements
26Safety records
13Cited sources
9Licensed products (Canada)

Regulatory presence

Health Canada's Licensed Natural Health Products Database holds 9 licensed products naming Taxus baccata as a medicinal ingredient, matched on the exact Latin binomial. A licence records that a product met the regulator's requirements for sale in Canada. It is not evidence that the product works.

Source material stated

  • Twigs with berries

What the records describe

Constituents measured

  • Taxine4
  • Cyanogenic glycosides1
  • Tannic acid1

Plant parts

  • Leaves28
  • Seed3
  • Bark1

Preparations

  • Solvent extraction5

Effect types

  • Pulmonary and cardiac19
  • Other toxicities3
  • Digestive1
  • Neurotoxicity1
  • Not reported1

Target tissues

  • Cardiovascular5
  • haematological5
  • Heart2
  • Respiratory2
  • Digestive1
  • Neurologic1

Recorded constituents

What analytical work has found in this species, at which plant part and preparation. A measured constituent is a fact about material, not about effect.

SubstancePlant partPreparationConcentrationAnalytical methodSource
TaxineLeaves——HPLC-MS/MSResolve DOI
TaxineLeavesSolvent extraction—High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)/Liquid Chromatography (LC)Resolve DOI
TaxineLeavesSolvent extraction—High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)/Liquid Chromatography (LC)Resolve DOI
Cyanogenic glycosidesSeed——Mass Spectroscopy and hyphenated methods without chromatographyNo resolvable identifier
Tannic acidBarkSolvent extraction—UnspecifiedNo resolvable identifier
TaxineSeed——Mass Spectroscopy and hyphenated methods without chromatographyNo resolvable identifier

Recorded adverse effects

Adverse effects reported in the source literature, most often in animal or laboratory models at a stated preparation and dose.

EffectTarget tissuePlant partPreparationTest organismTest typeSource
DigestiveDigestiveLeavesSolvent extractionHuman (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
NeurotoxicityNeurologicLeaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Not reported—Leaves—Mammals (as animal)Case reportResolve DOI
Other toxicities—Leaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Other toxicities—Leaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacRespiratoryLeaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacCardiovascular / haematologicalLeavesSolvent extractionHuman (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacCardiovascular / haematologicalLeaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacRespiratoryLeaves—Human (as organism)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacHeartLeaves—Horse (as animal)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiacHeartLeaves—Horse (as animal)Case reportResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Horse (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Cattle (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Dog (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Sheep (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Horse (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Human (as organism)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Pig (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Rabbit (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Human (as organism)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Goat (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Pulmonary and cardiac—Leaves—Bird (as animal)Not reportedResolve DOI
Not statedCardiovascular / haematologicalLeaves——Case reportResolve DOI
Other toxicities—Seed—Mammals (as animal)Case reportNo resolvable identifier
Pulmonary and cardiacCardiovascular / haematologicalLeaves—Mammals (as animal)Case reportNo resolvable identifier
Pulmonary and cardiacCardiovascular / haematologicalLeaves—Human (as organism)Case reportNo resolvable identifier

Cited sources

The literature the compendium cites for this species. Metatron Health has no relationship with these authors or journals and earns nothing from citing them.

  1. Caloni, F., Cortinovis, C. Plants poisonous to horses in Europe. Equine veterinary education, 2015, vol. 27, no. 5, p. 269-274. DOI
  2. Fuchs, Joan., Rauber-Luethy, Christine., Kupferschmidt, Hugo., Kupper, Jacqueline., Kullak-Ublick, Gerd-Achim., Ceschi, Alessandro. Acute plant poisoning: Analysis of clinical features and circumstances of exposure . Clinical toxicology, 2011, vol. 49, no. 7, p. 671-680. DOI
  3. Gaunitz, F., Sch�renkamp, J., Rostamzadeh, A., Konkol, C., Thevis, M., Rothschild, M.A., Mercer-Chalmers-Bender, K. Analysis of taxine B/isotaxine B in a plasma specimen by LC-MS/MS in a case of fatal poisoning: concealed suicide by ingestion of yew (Taxus L.) leaves of a patient with a long-term history of borderline personality disorder. Forensic toxicology, 2017, vol. 35, no. 2, p. 421-427. DOI
  4. Kominkova, Marketa., Stanisavljevic, Maja., Zitka, Ondrej., Mazanek, Stanislav., Sedlackova, Jana., Bandouchova, Hana., Pikula, Jiri., Beklova, Miroslava., Kizek, Rene. Yew poisoning of olive baboons (Papio anubis) in captivity: laboratory diagnosis . Neuroendocrinology letters, 2013, vol. 34, p. 130-133.
  5. Lacasse, Claude., Gamble, Kathryn C., Poppenga, Robert H., Farina, Lisa L., Landolfi, Jennifer., Terio, Karen. Taxus sp intoxication in three Francois' langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi) . Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation, 2007, vol. 19, no. 2, p. 221-224.
  6. Panzeri, Claudia., Bacis, Giuseppe., Ferri, Francesco., Rinaldi, Gabriele., Persico, Andrea., Uberti, Francesca., Restani, Patrizia. Extracorporeal life support in a severe Taxus baccata poisoning. Clinical toxicology, 2010, vol. 48, no. 5, p. 463-465. DOI
  7. Reijnen, Guido., Bethlehem, Corine., van Remmen, Jacquo M B L., Smit, Hans J M., van Luin, Matthijs., Reijnders, Udo J L. Post-mortem findings in 22 fatal Taxus baccata intoxications and a possible solution to its detection. . Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 2017, vol. 52, p. 56-61. DOI
  8. Tranca, Sebastian., Petrisor, Cristina Laura. A fatal case of Taxus poisoning.. Clujul medical (1957), 2013, vol. 86, no. 3, p. 279-81.
  9. Valis, M., Koc�, J., Tucek, D., Lutonsk�, T., Kopov�, J., Barton, P., Vysata, O., Kraj�ckov�, D., Kor�becn�, J., Masopust, J., Klzo, L. Common yew intoxication: A case report. Journal of medical case reports, 2014, vol. 8, no. 1. DOI
  10. Wilson, CR., Sauer, JM., Hooser, SB. Taxines: a review of the mechanism and toxicity of yew (Taxus spp.) alkaloids . Toxicon, 2001, vol. 39, no. 2-3, p. 175-185. DOI
  11. Andersen, Karina Barbara., Skaanild, Mette Tingleff., Bertelsen, Mads Frost., Brimer, Leon. Yew intoxication in brown bears; a novel approach to diagnosis. European journal of wildlife research, 2010, vol. 56, no. 6, p. 915-921. DOI
  12. MUSSHOFF, F., JACOB, B., FOWINKEL, C., DALDRUP, T. SUICIDAL YEW LEAVE INGESTION - PHLOROGLUCINDIMETHYLETHER (3,5-DIMETHOXYPHENOL) AS A MARKER FOR POISONING FROM TAXUS-BACCATA . International journal of legal medicine, 1993, vol. 106, no. 1, p. 45-50. DOI
  13. GIBSON, DM., GALLO, LG., KRASNOFF, SB., KETCHUM, REB. INCREASED EFFICACY OF BACILLUS-THURINGIENSIS SUBSP KURSTAKI IN COMBINATION WITH TANNIC-ACID . Journal of economic entomology, 1995, vol. 88, no. 2, p. 270-277.

Boundary

A constituent measurement is a fact about material at a stated preparation, not a statement about what that material does in a person. An adverse-effect or genotoxicity record is an observation reported in a source, most often in an animal or laboratory model. Neither is a Metatron Health conclusion about causality, human risk or benefit, and the absence of a record is not proof that a preparation is safe. Nothing here is diagnosis, prescribing or individual medical care.

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