Nature's Pharmacy
Pacific yew
In 1958, the National Cancer Institute commissioned a study of over
30,000 plant species in hopes of discovering cancer-fighting
compounds. Scientists found one in the bark of the Pacific yew, a
conifer native to the Pacific Northwest. Yet it took extractions
from six Pacific yews to yield enough of the anti-tumor compound
paclitaxel for a single patient. Eventually, researchers learned how
to convert a compound from the tree's needles into paclitaxel, which
doctors now use to treat lung, breast, and other cancers.