Poisonous!?

[LukeP]

A question to all you rugged bushcrafters out there: yew trees (in particular taxus) are perfect for bow making.

Turns out: they are highly toxic! What if I were to make a yew bow, and had only physical contact with it (obviously no swallowing of yew-components), would that affect me at all? I can't imagine continuously touching a poisonous tree wouldn't leave a 'mark' on my health...

Cheers!

Luke.

 

[Barn Owl]

Just wash hands after handling and don't inhale any sawdust.

I've done the opposite without any ills, so don't worry too much.

 

[ged]

If you don't work all day long with the wood, and you don't eat it, then don't worry about it. You'd need to eat two to four ounces of leaves to kill yourself.

http://www.ancient-yew.org/s.php/faqs/2/2#howpoisonous

 

[santaman2000]

Lets put it this way. Do you eat potatoes? Although the roots (which is whatwe eat) are edible and nutricious, the leaves are toxic. Turns out potatoes are in the nightshade family.

 

[JMHAZ]

I made a yew longbow 15 years ago. I'm still here and feeling quite well.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

There is an older thread, on this same subject, sorry I can't do links.

 

[toilet digger]

TAXIN is the alkaloid toxin that yew contains in all parts of the tree (except the berrys)
the reason you don't get a lethal dose is that when you cleave, split or cut you expose the wood to the atmosphere and the taxin oxidises.
if you eat the berrys, suck the flesh off the seed and spit the seed out intact, very tasty.
hope this helps.