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A detailed guide to yew cultivation techniques, from planting to care management points

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Yew, also known as taxus and red cypress pine, is an ancient tree species surviving from the Quaternary glacial period. There are 11 species of yew in the world, and 5 in China, namely Northeast yew, Chinese yew, southern Chinese yew, Yunnan yew, and Tibetan yew. The biological characteristics of yew demand high ecological environment requirements; a mature tree generally takes 100 to 250 years to grow. It is a precious plant on the verge of extinction, and China has listed it as a first-class rare and endangered protected plant, while the United Nations has also explicitly banned its felling. Statistics from 1996 show that wild yew in Yunnan accounted for 55

Yew, also known as taxus and red cypress pine, is an ancient tree species surviving from the Quaternary glacial period. There are 11 species of yew in the world, and 5 in China, namely Northeast yew, Chinese yew, southern Chinese yew, Yunnan yew, and Tibetan yew. The biological characteristics of yew demand high ecological environment requirements; a mature tree generally takes 100 to 250 years to grow. It is a precious plant on the verge of extinction, and China has listed it as a first-class rare and endangered protected plant, while the United Nations has also explicitly banned its felling. Statistics from 1996 show that wild yew in Yunnan accounted for 55% of the national total, with 1.1 million trees surviving in Lijiang alone. Yunnan's yew mainly grows and is distributed in the mountainous areas of Lijiang, Diqing, Nujiang, and Dali at altitudes of 2,600 to 3,500 m, in belt-like distribution and very scarce in number.

The paclitaxel contained in yew has a unique anticancer mechanism and relatively high anticancer activity, can prevent the reproduction of cancer cells, and inhibit the migration of tumor cells. It is recognized as the most important anticancer active substance in the field of natural medicines today. According to experts, paclitaxel is insoluble in water or alcohol-type solvents, its extraction technology is very complex, and its processing procedures are extremely rigorous; directly using yew bark or rhizome cannot treat disease.

At present, about 6.3 million people worldwide die of cancer each year, and in the United States, Europe, and Japan alone there are about 4 million each year. Treating these patients consumes about 1,500 to 2,500 kg of paclitaxel each year. An American expert studying paclitaxel said that even if all the existing yew in the world were felled, the extracted paclitaxel could only save the lives of 125,000 cancer patients. Therefore, to protect the limited natural resources of yew, all countries have prohibited all felling. China explicitly stipulates that felling 2 or more yew trees (including 2) has already reached the filing standard for a criminal case.

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