Yew trees: poisonous to humans & animals

It may be known that yew is poisonous but whether all parts of the plant are really poisonous and what to look out for when dealing with them is explained in this article.

The common yew (Taxus baccata) is an extremely poisonous plant that can be found in many private gardens and parks. This is why the poison taxine it contains was also named after the yew tree. In this article, you will learn what to look out for regarding the toxicity of the tree.

Are yews poisonous to humans?

The toxicity of yew trees has been known for several thousand years. Therefore, numerous deaths from yew have already been documented, as taxine has a highly toxic effect on humans. The lethal dose is about 3 mg per kilogram of body weight. Even eating a handful of yew needles can have fatal consequences. Even more poison than in the needles is contained in the seeds of the yew tree and even just a few seeds can mean death. It is particularly dangerous if the seeds are chewed or bitten open before swallowing, as this releases a higher dose of the poison. The symptoms of yew poisoning are manifold. At lower doses, the first signs to appear include headache, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. If the intake of the poison is too high, the person eventually suffers cardiac arrest.
The yew’s poison also prevents the body’s cells from multiplying. Through this effect, however, the yew poison could also be used for good purposes, as it is said to be able to stop the spread of tumour cells in cancer therapy.

As the red fruits can look tempting, especially to children, you should be very careful. If parts of the yew tree have been eaten or swallowed, a doctor must be consulted immediately. There is no need to worry about cutting or just touching the yew tree, as the toxin is mainly released when the plant is ingested orally and when the plant parts are chewed in the body.

The aril of the yew, i.e. the red seed coat, is the only part of the yew plant that is not poisonous. In some parts of Europe, jam is even made from the sweet yew berries.

Are yews poisonous for dogs and dogs?

Yew trees are also poisonous to deadly for most animals but a distinction must be made here. Although yew is also poisonous for dogs and cats, there is not too much danger of them being poisoned. Yew trees are hardly a food source for carnivorous animals. It becomes more dangerous for creatures that naturally feed on plants. Just a few hundred grams of plant material can be lethal for horses or farm animals such as sheep or cows. For this reason, yews have been systematically decimated in the past. In horses, the lethal dose is about 2 g of yew needles per kg of body weight so for a horse weighing 450 kg, an intake of 900 g would be fatal. Wild animals such as hares or deer are an exception: These animals can consume a significantly higher amount of yew needles without suffering poisoning.

Are there any non-toxic yews?

All known yews belong to the genus Taxus. Different species are slightly more or less poisonous – however, there are no non-poisonous yews, which is why you should take good care when handling these plants.

If you are aware of the toxicity of the tree and avoid eating parts of the plant, you can definitely enhance your garden with this attractive and robust woody plant. We show you everything you need to know about planting yew.