Plants are collected from the wild. American Podophyllum has long-jointed branching rhizomes about 1 m long, which are dug up, cut into pieces about 10 cm long and dried. Indian Podophyllum bears little resemblance to the American one. Rhizomes occur in much contorted pieces of an earthy brown colour about 2–4 cm long, 1–2 cm…
Both plants are large-leafed perennial herbs with edible fruits, though other parts of the plant are toxic. The American Podophyllum also called mayapple root, devil’s apple, hog apple, wild or American Mandrake is extensively distributed through the Eastern United States growing luxuriantly in moist shady woods and in low marshy grounds from Canada to Minnesota…
Podophyllum is an endangered but high-value medicinal plant from temperate and cold climatic zones of the globe. It is a source of podophyllotoxin, a natural lignan with cytotoxic, anti-tumour properties. It is the prescursor for the semi-synthesis of the widely used anti-cancer drugs etoposide, teniposide and etopophos. It is also a precursor to a new…
This consists of the dried rhizomes and roots of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle and Podophyllum peltatum Linn. of the family Berberidaceae. P. hexandrum is found in India, China and the Himalayas and yields Indian Podophyllum, whilst P. pelatatum comes from North America and is the source of American Podophyllum.
Approximately 30,000 kg Taxus biomass (leaves, twigs, bark, needles and roots) is required to produce 1 kg of refined paclitaxel. An estimated 400 kg/year of paclitaxel products are marketed annually in North America and Europe with global amounts estimated at 800–1000 kg. Global demand for paclitaxel in 2004 was estimated at 400 kg/year. However while…
T. wallichiana is a multipurpose tree species valued as a source of timber, fuelwood, fodder, tea, traditional medicine and since the early 1990s, paclitaxel and other taxanes used in anti-cancer medications. For at least several centuries, the young shoots, leaves and bark of T. wallichiana have been used for their medicinal properties. In India extracts from bark and…
These are small evergreen trees or shrubs approximately 6–12 m tall. The bark is reddish brown, thin and scaly. Individual trees are either male or female with dioecious flowers. Bark and more recently leaves and twigs of T. wallichiana and other Taxus species are harvested for extraction of paclitaxel, 10-DAB and other taxanes. Although not rare Taxus…
Classification of Taxus genus of the Taxaceae family of trees and shrubs is characterized alternately as notoriously difficult or controversial with the species described being discouragingly similar. Depending on the taxonomic authority consulted, the genus contains anywhere from one species with numerous varieties to 24 species with 55 varieties. These are distributed across northern temperate…
Taxol or paclitaxel is a diterpenoid pseudoalkaloid first obtained from the bark of North American Taxus species Taxus brevifolia Nutt (Pacific Yew). Family: Taxaceae Common Names English: Yew tree – Pacific yew, Himalayan yew Hindi: Barmi, Talispatra Commercial Importance Leaves, twigs, bark and roots of Taxus species contain a unique class of diterpenoid alkaloids called taxanes that…
India at one time had a monopoly on the supply of rauwolfia to the world market. It is among the top 178 medicinal plants considered to be in high volume trade and consumption with global demand for rauwolfia estimated in the early 1980s to be 100–150 tonnes annually. Today it is growing significantly with the…