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Sthneyaka

Taxus baccata L. (possibly Taxus wallichiana Zucc. in Indian context)

Sthneyaka (Taxus baccata L. (possibly Taxus wallichiana Zucc. in Indian context)) is a plant drug, from the Taxaceae family.

Key facts
Botanical nameTaxus baccata L. (possibly Taxus wallichiana Zucc. in Indian context)
FamilyTaxaceae
OrderPinales
Pharmacopoeia statusPaclitaxel (derived from Taxus) listed on WHO Model List of Essential Medicines as an anticancer agent; raw plant material not recommended for traditional medicine use due to extreme toxicity; Taxus wallichiana listed on CITES Appendix II (threatened species)
Taxon identifiersGBIF 5284517 · Wikidata Q179729 · NCBI Taxonomy 25629

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 1995 to 2024, 10 with a DOI.

  • 8Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 4Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishYew (Himalayan yew)
Latin/BotanicalTaxus baccata L. (possibly Taxus wallichiana Zucc. in Indian context)

Key Phytochemical Constituents

  • Paclitaxel (Taxol A)
  • Taxine A
  • Taxine B
  • Baccatin III
  • 10-Deacetylbaccatin III
  • Cephalomannine (Taxol B)
  • Taxane diterpenoids
  • Bioflavonoids (amentoflavone, ginkgetin)
  • Phytosterols
  • Lignans

How does it work?

  • Paclitaxel binds to beta-tubulin subunits of microtubules, stabilizing them against depolymerization and arresting cell division at metaphase, making it one of the most important anticancer drugs discovered from plants
  • Taxine B blocks cardiac sodium and calcium channels and disrupts sodium-potassium transport (similar to digitalis glycosides), causing potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias - this is the primary toxic mechanism
  • Baccatin III serves as a semisynthetic precursor for paclitaxel production and exhibits independent anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of NF-kB-mediated inflammatory gene transcription

Which traditional uses are supported by research?

These summaries come from the source notes, which do not name the studies behind them.

  • Paclitaxel, a plant-derived anticancer drug from this plant, is used globally in ovarian, breast and lung cancer and in Kaposi’s sarcoma.
  • Used in classical practice, under strict supervision, for kapha-pacifying indications described in classical texts. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties have been described in the Ayurvedic context.
  • Traditional use requires extreme caution. Pharmacological activity has been reported, but the therapeutic window is extremely narrow. Unsupervised use can be fatal.

What do recent studies show?

Only studies that could be traced to a published paper are listed here. An absence here means we could not identify the source, not that no work exists.

Recent safety updates

  • EXTREMELY TOXIC: All parts except the fleshy aril are lethal; lethal dose is approximately 50g of yew needles or 3.0-6.5 mg taxines/kg body weight in humans; there is no known antidote
  • Taxine alkaloids cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias (diastolic cardiac arrest); symptoms include dizziness, mydriasis, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia progressing to bradycardia and death
  • Paclitaxel as a pharmaceutical drug has its own extensive adverse effect profile (myelosuppression, peripheral neuropathy, hypersensitivity reactions) managed under oncology protocols; raw plant should NEVER be self-administered

What is it made of?

Key Active Markers

  • Amentoflavone
  • Phytosterols
  • Lignans
  • Paclitaxel
  • Taxine A
  • Taxine B
  • Baccatin III
  • 10-Deacetylbaccatin III
  • Cephalomannine
  • Taxane diterpenoids
  • Bioflavonoids

Dosage forms and preparation

Standard Dosage: No safe dose established; raw plant must not be consumed.

Storage: Store below 25 deg C in airtight containers, protected from light and moisture.

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews8

  1. Gao X, Zhang N, Xie W. 2024. Research on the Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of Taxus × mediaInternational journal of molecular sciences. PMID 38891943 · doi:10.3390/ijms25115756
  2. Brooks-Lim EWL, Mérette SA, Hawkins BJ and others. 2022. Fatal ingestion of Taxus baccata: English yewJournal of forensic sciences. PMID 34779510 · doi:10.1111/1556-4029.14941
  3. Nižnanský Ľ, Osinová D, Kuruc R and others. 2022. Natural Taxanes: From Plant Composition to Human Pharmacology and ToxicityInternational journal of molecular sciences. PMID 36555256 · doi:10.3390/ijms232415619
  4. Reijnen G, Bethlehem C, van Remmen JMBL and others. 2017. Post-mortem findings in 22 fatal Taxus baccata intoxications and a possible solution to its detectionJournal of forensic and legal medicine. PMID 28865388 · doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2017.08.016
  5. Alken S, Kelly CM. 2013. Benefit risk assessment and update on the use of docetaxel in the management of breast cancerCancer management and research. PMID 24143122 · doi:10.2147/CMAR.S49321
  6. 2012. Taxanes PMID 31644104
  7. Vaishampayan U, Parchment RE, Jasti BR and others. 1999. Taxanes: an overview of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamicsUrology. PMID 10606281 · doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(99)00451-3
  8. Lavelle F, Bissery MC, Combeau C and others. 1995. Preclinical evaluation of docetaxel (Taxotere)Seminars in oncology. PMID 7740328

Laboratory and animal studies4

  1. Maleki K, Chmielarz P, Wawrzyniak MK and others. 2024. Seed Regeneration in Taxus baccata: Unveiling Ecological Restrictions and Paving the Way for Future StudiesEcology and evolution. PMID 39530032 · doi:10.1002/ece3.70534
  2. Götz J, Leinemann L, Gailing O and others. 2024. Development of a highly polymorphic chloroplast SSR set in Abies grandis with transferability to other conifer species-A promising toolkit for gene flow investigationsEcology and evolution. PMID 38903146 · doi:10.1002/ece3.11593
  3. Calvia G, Casula P, Farris E and others. 2023. Shrub Cover and Soil Moisture Affect Taxus baccata L. Regeneration at Its Southern RangePlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 37176876 · doi:10.3390/plants12091819
  4. Dumitraş DA, Bunea A, Vodnar DC and others. 2022. Phytochemical Characterization of Taxus baccata L. Aril with Emphasis on Evaluation of the Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Activity of RhodoxanthinAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 35739936 · doi:10.3390/antiox11061039

Reference lists that include it

Gallic acid

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.