Hey Yew Guys!!!

[Dakota Kid]

Does anyone know of a place that accepts yew bark donations? I know there has been serious over harvesting issues ever since pharmaceutical companies have been paying for the bark. Apparently it makes an above average chemotherapy drug. I know licencing and permits are now required to sell it, so I won't be doing that(too much red tape). I just wondered if I could give it to someone and maybe save a west coast tree or two. The bark I have isn't Pacific Yew rather Canadian Yew, but from what I gather still contains the desired chemicals. Thanks in advance for any answers.   

[DC]

I heard that the drug companies have synthesized the taxol and don't use the bark any more. I think that happened five or more years ago./

[sieddy]

I'm very happy to hear the pharmaceutical companies have stopped harvesting Yew bark! 

[E. Jensen]

Yes I believe they are nowsynthesizing it.   Even so when they were using the bark it has to be fresh.   Within 72 hours I believe

[Dakota Kid]

Either way I missed my window then. Thanks guys. I can keep the peace in the house by removing the bags of bark. That will make room for a couple more staves.

[PEARL DRUMS]

For what its worth, Id rather see a bunch of folks in remission than bark on all the yew trees.

[Dakota Kid]

F#$% - cancer for sure. It's evil incarnate.  I just lost a life long friend this winter. He was 36 and it destroyed his body before taking his life. It doesn't seem fair that he had to miss the second half of life, but we all have to cross that bridge eventually. Hopefully he'll have a nice campfire going by the time I get there (and plenty of time to work on it. ) 

However stripping bark completely from the trunk will kill the tree. Trading one life for another is a decision I am not comfortable making, even if it is"just a tree". I'm all about harvesting sustainable resources, but the bark stripping that was occurring at the time was anything but sustainable. Eradicating an entire species out of fear of death and loss has to be bad for the karma.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I'll pick human life over any and all tree species. If keeping humans alive means eradicating yew? Id grab my saw and start cutting for the pharm. companies.

[Dakota Kid]

Don't let emotions get the better of logic. Without the plants and animals we'd all be as good as dead anyway, but I do understand your passion for our suffering brothers and sisters. If I had even half the amount of empathy you do, that would make me very happy.

Thankfully the yew gets a reprieve for now, but keep that saw sharp. I'm sure the more we discover about the chemicals hiding in plants there will be another tree on the hit list soon. Actually, I heard that osage orange is being looked into at the moment.

 

[wizardgoat]

I also looked into this when I first started cutting yew, but hit a dead end.
I'm with pearly, I'd cut and collect yew bark daily if it was going to help fight cancer.

[DC]

You have to take an arguement like this to it's last step. On one hand there's your wife with cancer. On the other there is the last yew left on earth. What are you going to do? No brainer to me.

[PEARL DRUMS]

My wife HAD cancer, hence my feeling towards the bark collection. This world is covered with various forests, a few hundred thousands yews wont end mankind as we know it. I am glad they developed a synthetic all the same.

[bow101]

Cancer research is phenomenal these days.  They have tested thousands of compounds to date.  Canada seems to be the last Country to approve anything.  Europe and the USA have their act together and approve a new drug 1-2 years before Canada.

 ASA aka (Aspirin)  acetylsalicylic acid: is made from Willow bark.

[DC]

It's cheaper that way. Let them do the development and two years testing. After that it's a rubber stamp

[Slackbunny]

Cancer research is phenomenal these days.  They have tested thousands of compounds to date.  Canada seems to be the last Country to approve anything.  Europe and the USA have their act together and approve a new drug 1-2 years before Canada.

 ASA aka (Aspirin)  acetylsalicylic acid: is made from Willow bark.

Yeah that's true. We do seem to lag behind everyone else when it comes to drug approvals. I lot of people who are in dire straights here go to the US or Mexico for new or experimental treatments.

That being said, a rigorous approval system is important. We don't need another thalidomide catastrophe.