By Amy Evans Economic Botany
o Small to medium-sized evergreen tree o Reddish-brown trunk with dark, flat leaves o Every part of plant is poisonous due to Taxine
o Native to the pacific northwest o Extremely slow-growing o Can live for a very long time o One of the only conifers trimmed regularly into hedges
o Monroe E. Wall and Mansukh C. Wani created the drug from the bark of the English Yew o Mitotic inhibitor o Used in breast, ovarian and lung cancer treatment o Given intravenously (IV) o Annual sales peaked in 2000, reaching $1.6 billion
o Low blood counts o Hair loss o Joint and muscle pain (usually resolved within a few days) o Peripheral neuropathy o Nausea/ vomiting (usually mild) o Diarrhea o Mouth sores o Hypersensitivity *all side effects experienced by more than 30% of the experimental group
o The first clinical report was issued in May of 1988 showing a 30% success rate in ovarian cancer patients o Paclitaxel Greenness Project by Bristol-Myers Squibb o Princeton- Ovarian Cancer o Vascular Research Center- Lung cancer (preliminary) o Oxford Journal Study- Head/neck cancer
o 8/English-yew 8/English-yew o o chemistry.html chemistry.html o Princeston Study o bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/ / &EDATE= bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/ / &EDATE o Vascular Research Center o h/Basic_Articles/Neointimal_hyperplasia_clowes.ht ml h/Basic_Articles/Neointimal_hyperplasia_clowes.ht ml o Oxford Journal o /499 /499