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TAXACEAE

(Yew family)

20 species in five genera are found in the northern hemisphere south to Celebes and Mexico, one species in New Caledonia.

[Summary yet to be added]

Taxus

10 species are found in north temperate regions south to the Himalayas, Philippines, Celebes and Mexico.

Taxus sp.

Grossmann (1920) had experienced mild headache and discomfort while working with yew, as had other workers with him. The wood was said to irritate the respiratory passages and the skin (Moll 1950).

Most parts of the tree contain poisonous alkaloids, taxines and also an irritant volatile oil (Forsyth 1968). Wine from hip-flasks made of yew wood was said by Pliny to poison travellers (Woods and Calnan 1976).

Taxus baccata

Common Yew, English Yew

Senear (1933) reported dermatitis in a man who scraped his archery bow made of yew wood imported from England. Attacks followed several exposures to the dust of the wood, which produced a positive patch test reaction. Tests in controls.were not recorded. The patient applied the patch test on his own initiative and therefore deserves a place in the history of patch testing. Irritant effects of yew wood have been ascribed to oil of yew and formic acid (Long 1938). Hausen (1970) cites Powetz (1949) for an injurious effect of the wood.

Miliary eruptions were reported from sleeping under the tree (Piffard 1881).

Taxus cuspidata

Japanese Yew

The wood is said to be irritant (Schwartz et al. 1957).

References

• Forsyth, A.A. (1968) British Poisonous Plants. 2nd edn. Bull. 161. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. London. HMSO.
• Grossmann, J. (1920) Gesundheitsschadliche Holzarten Der Holzkaufer (Leipzig) 17: 529, 535, 540 and 545.
• Hausen, B.M. (1970) Untersuchungen uber Gesundheitsschadigende Holzer. Thesis, Hamburg.
• Long, H.C. (1938) Poisonous Plants on the Farm. Bull. Ministry Agriculture London 75.
• Moll, F. (1950) Giftiges Holz und Gewerbekrankheiten. Holz (Munchen) 4: 76
• Piffard, H.G. (1881) A Treatise on the Materia Medica and Therapeutics of the Skin. New York. Wm. Wood and Co.
• Powetz, J. (1949) Vergiftungen durch die Eibe. Allgemeine Forst- und Holzwirtschaftliche Zeitung 60: 59.
• Schwartz, L., Tulipan, L., Birmingham, D.J. (1957) Occupational Diseases of the Skin. 3rd edn. Philadelphia. Lea and Febiger.
• Senear, F.E. (1933) Dermatitis due to woods. J. Am. Med. Ass. 101: 1527.
• Woods B and Calnan CD (1976) Toxic woods. British Journal of Dermatology 95(Suppl. 13): 1-97.

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