is found in india as an evergreen tree in the temperate himalayas at altitudes between 1800 and 3300 m and in the hills of meghalaya and manipur at an altitude of 1500 m. taxus is distributed in europe , north america , north india , pakistan , china , and japan .
it is a small medium - sized evergreen tree growing from 10 to 28 m in height .
the leaves are flat , dark green , and arranged spirally on the stem . in asia ,
its distribution stretches from afghanistan through the himalayas to the philippines , and it is widely distributed in pakistan and india . in india , it grows in its natural habitat in nanda devi biosphere reserve ( ndbr ) of garhwal himalayas , particularly on the north to north - west slopes .
the himalayan yew , known as thuner in western himalayas , has high medicinal value and ethnobotanical importance .
the plant holds an important place in traditional medicine and its products are used by the local populations for treating common infections .
it received wide attention recently because its leaves and bark were found to be the prime source of taxol , a potent anticancer drug which has a unique property of preventing the growth of cancerous cells and is used in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers .
taxol was first isolated from the bark of taxus brevifolia , and since then , taxol and related bioactive taxoids have been reported from various other species of the genus taxus .
excellent clinical results with taxol in the treatment of various cancers , particularly in refractory ovarian and breast cancers , have led to substantial demand for this drug .
the leaves and bark of t. brevifolia , t. wallichiana , and other taxus species have been used for the extraction of taxol . due to overexploitation ,
moreover , several species are disappearing at an alarming rate mainly at higher altitudes due to over - harvesting , habitat destruction , and abrupt climate change .
available literature on t. wallichiana shows its analgesic , antipyretic , anti - inflammatory , immunomodulatory , antiallergic , anticonvulsant , anticociceptive , antiosteoporotic , antibacterial , antifungal , antiplatelet , and antispasmodic activities and vasorelaxing effect .
the himalayan yew has a remarkable history of its usage in the traditional system of medicine .
the indigenous people live in nearby forests and possess substantial amount of traditional wisdom on plant utilization .
himalayan medicinal plants form important constituents of alternative medicinal systems such as amchi , ayurveda , han chinese , unani , and other traditional medicine systems that are prevalent in this region .
native populations and the inhabitants of the buffer zone villages of ndbr use these plants and their products in folk medicine for the treatment of common infections .
himalayan yew has been used traditionally for the treatment of high fever and painful inflammatory conditions .
it is consumed as decoctions , herbal tea , and juice for treating cold , cough , respiratory infections , indigestion , and epilepsy .
its bark and leaves are used in steam baths to treat rheumatism , and the paste made from its bark is used to treat fractures and headaches .
the bark and leaves of t. wallichiana are used in unani medicine as a source of the drug zarnab , which is prescribed as a sedative , aphrodisiac , and as a treatment for bronchitis , asthma , epilepsy , snake bite , and scorpion stings .
young shoots of the plant are used in ayurveda to prepare a tincture for the treatment of headache , giddiness , feeble and falling pulse , coldness of extremities , diarrhea , and severe biliousness .
the analgesic and anti - inflammatory properties of the t. wallichiana bark extract have been studied .
tasumatrol b , 1,13-diacetyl-10-deacetylbaccatin iii ( 10-dad ) , and 4-deacetylbaccatin iii ( 4-dab ) were isolated from the bark extract of t. wallichiana zucc .
the compounds were assessed for anti - inflammatory and analgesic activities using an acetic acid induced writhing model , carrageenan - induced paw edema model , and in vitro lipoxygenase inhibitory assay .
all the compounds , especially tasumatrol b , showed significant anti - inflammatory activity in carrageenan - induced paw edema model , which is used extensively to determine the anti - inflammatory effect of new investigational agents .
taxusabietane a , isolated from the bark extract of t. wallichiana , was analyzed for in vivo and in vitro anti - inflammatory activities using the lipoxygenase inhibitory assay and the carrageenan - induced paw edema model , where taxusabietane a showed significant anti - inflammatory activity . using the acetic acid induced abdominal writhing model ,
all compounds , particularly tasumatrol b , revealed significant analgesic activity . acetic acid plays a critical role in nociception . involving the prostaglandin and cyclooxygenase biosynthetic pathway , it releases arachidonic acid .
analgesic properties of t. wallichiana extract may be due to its inhibitory effects on the biosynthesis of arachidonic acid metabolites .
the potential of tasumatrol b as a new lead compound for the management of pain and inflammation can be further explored .
it was found that the methanol extracts of t. wallichiana possess potent anticonvulsant and antipyretic activities .
the plant extract , when administered in doses of 100 mg / kg and 200 mg / kg , significantly inhibited myoclonus and clonus , while inhibition of tonus and hind limb tonic extension were found to be more significant . in the same study , the antipyretic activity of the plant extract was also shown , where in yeast - induced pyrexia model , a 200 mg / kg dose caused a significant inhibition .
however , in doses of 50 mg / kg and 100 mg / kg , it caused less significant inhibition .
the anticociceptive and antipyretic activities may be attributed to the presence of phenols , polyphenols , tannins , saponins , anthraquinones , alkaloids , steroids , and especially , the diterpenes found in the crude extract of the plant .
after the discovery of the anticancer drug taxol ( paclitaxel ) from the bark of pacific yew tree t. brevifolia , in 1971 , lot of work was carried out on the chemical investigation of almost all parts ( needles , bark , root , seed , heartwood ) of several yew species , resulting in the isolation and characterization of 300 taxoids .
systemic studies conducted on the chemical constituents acquired from different parts of t. wallichiana revealed several taxoids of different structural types , with five of them being novel molecules .
taxiresinol 1 , isotaxiresinol 2 , and ( )-secoisolariciresinol 3 , from the heartwood of the plant , which possess anticancer activity .
among these , taxiresinol 1 showed notable in vitro anticancer activity against liver , colon , ovarian , and breast cancer cell lines .
it inhibits cell proliferation by promoting the stabilization of microtubules at the g2-m phase of the cell cycle , due to which the depolymerization of microtubules to soluble tubulin is blocked .
bilobetin , a biflavone obtained from the needles of t. buccata , has also been reported to possess antifungal activity .
methanol extracts of the leaf , bark , and heartwood of t. wallichiana were tested against six bacterial and six fungal strains using the hole diffusion and microdilution methods . all extracts and fractions from the plant displayed significant antimicrobial effects , and the minimum inhibitory concentration ( mic ) values for the bacterial strains ranged from 0.23 to 200 mg / ml and from 0.11 to 200 mg / ml for fungi .
taxol and related bioactive taxoids from t. wallichiana may be responsible for the antimicrobial activities .
these activities may also be attributed to the presence of phenols , polyphenols , tannins , saponins , anthraquinones , alkaloids , steroids , and especially , the diterpenes found in the plant extract .
the extracts of t. wallichiana zucc . have been found to possess therapeutic potential , and the plant has its important place in traditional medicine
. however , traditional knowledge , which passes orally from generation to generation , is on the verge of extinction due to the disruption of cultural set - ups , caused by rapid socio - economic transformation and modernization of society .
the diverse biological activities demonstrated by researchers open the door for its potential use in modern medicine .
the extracts from various parts of the plant have significant activity against pain , inflammation , fever , fungal and bacterial infections , convulsions , and cancer .
further elaborative studies can lead to development of the safe actives for therapeutic use in modern medicine and will offer better understanding of its mechanism of action .
 taxus wallichiana zucc . , known as himalayan yew , belongs to the family taxaceae . 
 it is a medium - sized , temperate , himalayan forest tree of medicinal importance . in india 
 , this evergreen tree is found at altitudes between 1800 and 3300 m above mean sea level ( msl ) . 
 it has been used by the native populations for treating common cold , cough , fever , and pain . 
 its uses are described in ayurveda and unani medicine . 
 it received attention recently as its leaves and bark were found to be the prime source of taxol , a potent anticancer drug . 
 it possesses many other biological activities also . 
 we focus on its importance in traditional medicine for its multiple medicinal properties . 