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Mohd. Aslam Dar

THE Himalayan yew has had to pay a price for its usefulness. It is a prime source of various

taxoids including paclitaxel, better known under its commercial name Taxol – a well known anti-cancer drug. Consequently, the species has had to bear the brunt of excessive clipping of foliage and bark removal making it an endangered tree in the Indian Himalayas.

In the Indian Himalayas, Taxus wallichiana occurs in the northern-western States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh at altitudes between 1800 to 3300 m (amsl) and in the hills of Meghalaya and Manipur at an altitude of 1500 m (amsl). In the Kashmir Himalaya, the species shows its prevalence more in Gulmarg, Baramulla and Pahalgam regions and also grows luxuriantly in the inner areas of Vaastoorwon forests of Tral, Lidder Forest Division (Aslam, 2014). Likewise the species also grows in Sudhmahandev, Patnitop, Sannasar, Sarthal,

Dudu Basantgarh areas of Jammu province (Sharma, 2014).

Traditionally, it has found use in medicine as an anti-cancer, anti-infl ammatory, anti-convulsant, anti-pyretic, analgesic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.

SHORT FEATURE

Himalayan Yew —Himalayan Yew — Exciting Conifer with Uncertain Future

The extracts of T. wallichiana are known to be a source of a drug, called Zarnab, which is very frequently prescribed in the Unani System of Indian Medicine as sedative, and for

Himalayan yew growing in Compartment no. 44/G of Pirpanjal Forest Division, Kashmir Himalaya

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the treatment of bronchitis, asthma, snake bites, epilepsy, scorpion stings, diarrhoea, severe biliousness, giddiness, coldness of extremities, feeble and falling pulse, besides application as an aphrodisiac (Mulliken and Crofton, 2008; TRAFFIC India, 1998). The tincture prepared from its young shoots is used in Ayurveda as a plaster on bone fractures and is applied externally on the forehead to provide relief from headache (Gaur,1999). Himalayan yew is also an important ingredient of several Ayurvedic formulations such as Lavanbhaskar churna, Talisadivati, and Sudarshan churna (Chauhan, 1999).

It is a prime source of an anti-cancer drug, known as Taxol, which is extracted from its bark and leaves,

and has demonstrated broad anti-tumor activity against breast, liver, lung, blood, prostrate, head and neck, gynecological cancers and Karposi’s Sarcoma (Cragg et al., 1993; Donehower and Rowinsky, 1993). Extracts from the tree have also been assessed for anti-infl ammatory and analgesic activities.

While the methanol extracts of T. wallichiana possess potent anti-convulsant and anti-pyretic activities, heartwood extracts have potential anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. Bilobetin, a bifl avone obtained from the needles of the species, has also been reported to possess antifungal activity.

Besides, Taxus wood is the hardest of all coniferous woods, and is valued for its strength, durability, and decorative character. It is also highly resistant to rot and insect attack and can be worked, polished and stained excellently. It is used for cabinet work, candle sticks and other fancy articles, such as handles of knives, doors and back of combs and for wood carving and inlaying and also for making furniture, veneers, parquet fl ooring and paneling and for gates, fences, pegs and various art objects.

The sensitivity of common yew to anthropogenic disturbances is primarily due to its very slow growth and inability to compete with other species. Besides, high demand for bark and leaves for paclitaxel production resulted in a signifi cant increase in the rate of the harvest leading to

decline in its population, which has pushed this biological asset to the peril of extinction. The plant is rare, endangered and listed in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Wild populations of this tree have been drastically annihilated from various pockets of Himalayan States.

It has now become necessary to preserve the gene resource. Artifi cial regeneration methods are also urgently called for. Vegetative propagation technique could be useful for the management of this declining tree species whether for conservation, habitat restoration or the supply of its leaves (renewable resources instead of bark, which is destructive method), for the production of Taxol or other related taxoids.

Although SFRI, Srinagar, J&K has standardized its propagation protocol, the lack of continuity of the practice has not achieved the desired results yet. The community awareness programmes, fi nancial and infrastructural assistance, in-situ as well as ex-situ plantation and judicious use are more important to encourage the conservation of this botanical wealth. Any further delay may cause complete extinction of the species.

Dr. Mohd Aslam Dar is Lecturer in Botany, Education Department, Govt. of J&K. Address: Goripora (Awantipora), Pulwama, Srinagar, Kashmir-192122 (J&K); Email: maslamdar@yahoo.co.in

Basal sprouts growing on the stem of a mature yew

Foliage of Himalayan yew tree located in inner areas of Vaastoorwon Forests

Traditionally, it has found use in medicine as an anti-cancer, anti-infl ammatory, anti-convulsant, anti-pyretic, analgesic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.