ImmuneXL Historical Use
Taxus brevifolia is native only to North America. It is commonly referred to as the Pacific Yew Tree or Montana Yew. Very few trees match the longevity of the Yew with some specimens aged at 500 to 1000 years old. It is slow growing, but long lived. The Montana Yew is an indigenous to northwestern Montana and northern Idaho.
Its typical growth habit is a bushy, shrub-type tree generally reaching 10-15 feet in height with an almost equal spread. It grows best on northerly slopes at elevations of 3000 to 7000 feet, preferring a canopy of mature timber.
The ancient Pacific Yew tree was a valuable source of traditional remedies for Native Americans and pioneers of the Pacific Northwest. Remedies were made from various parts of the Yew tree. The Cowlitz moisten leaves of yew, grind them up and apply the pulp to wounds, the Klallan boiled the leaves and would drink the infusion for an internal injury or pain. The Quinault chewed the needles and applied the pulp to the wounds. They are the only tribe making medicinal use of the bark, which was peeled, dried and boiled and made as a tea. The liquid was drunk to relieve a stomachache the concoction was also used for kidney problems. (Plant and the People)
- Ethno botany of the Karuk Tribe. By Barbara J. Davis and Michael Hendric (1991).
Page 37 - Subject: Taxus brevifolia Siskiyou County Museum. Yreka, CA
Native Americans of the northwest coast used Pacific yew for tools, weapons, canoe paddles, harpoons and drum frames. They crushed needles to make salves for skin conditions and poultices to reduce inflammation . Needles and bark were brewed into teas or smoked for remedies against headaches, stomach and bronchial problems. Women ate yew berries to prevent pregnancy.
- Taxol Science and Applications. Edited by Matthew Suffness (1995) Page 32 CRC Press - Boca Raton, FL
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