Taxus treat
the Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana), a rare tree found in the Himalayan foothills, is fast disappearing because of largescale illegal felling for an anti-cancer drug made from its leaves and bark. The tree parts are allegedly smuggled to laboratories in the us, Germany and other Western countries involved in research on taxol, a resinous substance extracted from Taxus.
For decades, Indian drug manufacturers have been using Taxus parts in various Ayurvedic preparations. "In Gulmarg as Taxus baccata (old nomenclature) is on the verge of extinction, the state authorities should think of its local cultivation,' says S D Swatantra, chief conservator of forests, Jammu & Kashmir (j&k) .
T wallichiana is found in Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh (hp) where it is called rakhal , in Gulmarg j&k and also in Uttar Pradesh (up), Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The Gujjars of j&k who have been using Taxus leaves and bark since time immemorial for its pain-relieving and therapeutic properties, call it posteel.
T baccata