Medicinal Monday... An Evergreen Legacy

The Taxus canadensis, known as the Canadian or American Yew, is a remarkable needled evergreen shrub celebrated for its lush green foliage and bright red berries. Its unmistakable festive appearance has long associated it with the Christmas season, evoking the spirit of joy and tradition. Found throughout Connecticut and across New England, this shrub is native to central and eastern North America. However, its legacy extends far beyond its ornamental beauty—it holds a deep connection to the traditions and innovations of Indigenous communities.

Photo credit Harlan B. Herbert

American Yew: A Closer Look

The American Yew belongs to the Pinales order, sharing family ties with conifers like pine, juniper, fir, and spruce. Preferring partial to deep shade and moist, cool soil, this shrub thrives along streams, ponds, and bogs. Its modest stature rarely exceeds five feet in height, but it can spread to eight feet wide, forming beautiful green carpets in the forest understory.

Key features include:

• Leaves and Needles: Flat, single needles that cannot be rolled.
• Berries: Female plants produce red, cup-shaped berries in summer, each containing a single seed surrounded by a red aril.
• Strobili (Cones): Male strobili are oval and yellow, while female strobili resemble buds with brown-green scales.

Note: While the berries are technically edible, the seeds inside are highly toxic, so caution is advised.

photo credit Ayotte, Gilles

A Natural Healer: Traditional Medicinal Uses and More

For centuries, Native American communities have unlocked the healing properties of the American Yew. Indigenous groups such as the Abanki, Algonquin, Chippewa, Menominee, Micmac, Montagnais, Penobscot, and Iroquois used the shrub in a variety of innovative ways:

• Abanki and Algonquin (Quebec): Infusions of the leaves were used to treat rheumatism and to reduce post-childbirth swelling.
• Chippewa and Menominee: Created herbal steams and decoctions of the twigs to alleviate rheumatism and stomach aches.
• Micmac: Relied on the plant for pain relief after childbirth, to treat fevers, and for its bark's ability to address gastrointestinal issues.
• Montagnais: Brewed the plant to combat weakness and fever, and even used its leaves to produce a green dye.
• Penobscot: Infused twigs to treat colds, and used the leaves as a diuretic.
• Iroquois: Ingeniously fermented the berries in water and maple water to create a unique "beer."

photo Ayotte, Gilles

Did You Know?

It’s also known as ground hemlock.

It serves as a year-round food source for moose and white-tailed deer.

Despite its prevalence in New England, it is considered extremely rare in Rhode Island.

Although it may resemble a Balsam Fir, the American Yew can be distinguished by its pointed needles (versus the flat ones of the Balsam Fir).

The shrub contains taxanes, compounds that have been pivotal in cancer research.