Yew's medical value being exploited

(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-01 14:48

Since Heilongjiang cultivated the largest man-made yew forest in the world last December, a number follow-up research and development projects into the therapeutic value of yews have been carried out.

The leader in this area is the Heilongjiang Yew Group, a high-tech company focusing on the all-around development of yews.

Established in 1997, the group currently possesses four large yew cultivation bases in Heilongjiang.

By applying asexual reproduction technology, it has bred some 5.52 million yews in the past decade, covering an area of more than 2,670 hectares, making it the largest yew forest in the world.

Its total reserves of yew saplings accounts for more than 20 per cent of the world's total.

All varieties of yew, including Chinese yew, contain a kind of rich cancer-fighting substance called Paclitaxel (Taxol).

It is therefore regarded as having the best potential for the development of a natural remedy to fight cancer.

According to some research findings, the man-nurtured yew goes through less of a growing period than the natural one, with a higher content of Paclitaxel.

Based on the findings, the Heilongjiang Yew Scientific and Technological Development Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the group, has teamed up with a number of colleges and institutes to extract Paclitaxel out of yews cultivated by the group itself.

The company has successfully invented a batch of competitive anti-cancer medicine.

The traditional Chinese medicine pills it produces out of yews have filled needs in that field internationally.

With fixed assets of up to 150 million yuan (US$18 million), the group today owns eight subsidiaries, almost all engaged in the major sectors of development of yew medication.

Among them, Heilongjiang Yew Pharmaceutical Ltd Co is a large modern company producing traditional Chinese medicine.

It covers an area of 50,000 square metres and has developed 21 varieties of different drugs.

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