Yew attempt

[Kali_Yuga13]

And I feel rather safe in the presence of yew.

I follow you. I subscribe to the idea of plant medicine with their accompanying plant spirits. Yew has a storied history in folklore and numerous mentions by Shakespeare in his most famous plays including Macbeth and Romeo & Juliette.

I've always been intrigued by the "poison path". I was ecstatic to find some wild Datura with beautiful white moon flowers and purple accents a few years ago. I harvested all parts and potted one on my back porch. Modern practicalities prevented me from experimenting as you are now.

Maybe you're a reincarnated witchy woman lol.

Are you picking them fresh for each "experiment" or going off a single harvest? I'm totally fascinated by how old they can be. . Would love to see a pic of your yew tree.

"My shroud of white, stuck all with yew,
O, prepare it!
My part of death, no one so true
Did share it."

"Twelfth Night" (ii. 4) ~Shakespeare

 

[EternalSkies]

I dont feel as many effects this time. But the ekgs showed a heart issue over 12 hours now. It passed after like 24 hours

 

[EternalSkies]

I pick them and keep them for as long as needed.

Theyre saying I couldve died despite feeling mothing and amitting me to psych again...

 

[EternalSkies]

They let me out pretty quickly again. The second doctor evaluated I didn't need to stay in psych

For those interested I had a widened QRS

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

Sounds a little scary. Is it something that resolved itself? It sounds ie the doctors there are nice. Do you end up being treated by the same ones since you've been there a few times?

Does the yew have any mental effects? When you start to feel weird heart things does it give you anxiety or calm you down?

 

[EternalSkies]

They were a bit worried about the widened QRS. I also know from yew poisoning reports it is usually followed by cardiac arrest and things like that.
It kept getting worse for several hours then resolved after around 20 hours on its own. Some doctors are good, some not perfect. It is a bit chaotic each time

Some doctors recognize me, but there are always new ones at times

I don't think I have any mental effects from yew

 

[EternalSkies]

Did it again same thing showed up on first ekg. They didnt say anything about the second one, yet at least

I swallowed 9g raw. They think it might compound from what i took on thursday

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

Do you think you're going to give it a break or keep at it until it does you in?

I went to the cemetery and found some yew shrubs right at my family's headstone. They're all over the place so I guess the lore is true. Nice to know there's another easily available option if I get in a jam. I'm sure SN is more quick and painless but I value plant methods more for reasons.

I read one med report and some guy made a crude extract. They really went to town on him to save his life and were successful but the life saving measures sounded traumatic in and of itself.

 

[onerousyawn]

Am in the yew camp too - looking a the pros & cons of tincture vs tea, both of which once the volatile oils in the leaves have been boiled out as im at the point I could go either way. Anyone with thoughts/experience on this?

I *think* i have enough but some of the leaves got browned in the oven when i was drying then out and I'm worried I've rendered that portion useless (they arent burned to a black crisp, they've just lost their green).

@EternalSkies i see you're online - how are you feeling now?

 

[Scythe]

Omg someone else using yew, this is like my preferred method. I tried twice and failed but like I just need to up the dose.
When I researched I recall I endes up with a number way higher than 50g to be lethal. I recall it was 200+ seeds min to kill best to have 300 or 100g of leaves to kill. There should be documentation on yew here. From a deleted user but if you search the forum the information is there.

I also see that @onerousyawn is saying to boil out the oils, which yes I can attest to once the oil has been boiled out the poison sympmtoms become a slight heartache and limb numbness. Personally, I simmered the plant for 15 minutes, low temperature, then I added alcohol and simmered for 30. You want about 15-20% alcohol to water ratio.

PS. Where are u getting ur yew seeds or whatever? The yew species vary in toxicity and I suspect I've been getting the weaker ones. Perferable I want the seeds of the Japanese or European variant.

 

[onerousyawn]

Omg someone else using yew, this is like my preferred method. I tried twice and failed but like I just need to up the dose.
When I researched I recall I endes up with a number way higher than 50g to be lethal. I recall it was 200+ seeds min to kill best to have 300 or 100g of leaves to kill. There should be documentation on yew here. From a deleted user but if you search the forum the information is there.

I also see that @onerousyawn is saying to boil out the oils, which yes I can attest to once the oil has been boiled out the poison sympmtoms become a slight heartache and limb numbness. Personally, I simmered the plant for 15 minutes, low temperature, then I added alcohol and simmered for 30. You want about 15-20% alcohol to water ratio.

PS. Where are u getting ur yew seeds or whatever? The yew species vary in toxicity and I suspect I've been getting the weaker ones. Perferable I want the seeds of the Japanese or European variant.

Ive harvested from a yew tree here in the UK, one that's at least 45 years old but maybe much older. I understand the older the yew, the more potent it is. European yew is def deadlier.

Ive harvested from a yew tree here in the UK, one that's at least 45 years old but maybe much older. I understand the older the yew, the more potent it is. European yew is def deadlier.

Should say too that i discarded the water id boiled the leaves in, rinsed the leaves and then dried. Didnt want to run the risk of residue.

Really concerned I've not prepped enough so will need to weigh again…I think the branches themselves were bulking things out? Can I steep them too, if I'm taking the tea approach?

 

[EternalSkies]

Am in the yew camp too - looking a the pros & cons of tincture vs tea, both of which once the volatile oils in the leaves have been boiled out as im at the point I could go either way. Anyone with thoughts/experience on this?

I *think* i have enough but some of the leaves got browned in the oven when i was drying then out and I'm worried I've rendered that portion useless (they arent burned to a black crisp, they've just lost their green).

@EternalSkies i see you're online - how are you feeling now?

I am okay. Been at psychward a few days. I find ingesting it raw seems more dangerous somehow. But I don't get as clear felt effects as with tea. But the EKG usually notices issues.

Btw I have steeped branches too. But they weigh barely nothing

Omg someone else using yew, this is like my preferred method. I tried twice and failed but like I just need to up the dose.
When I researched I recall I endes up with a number way higher than 50g to be lethal. I recall it was 200+ seeds min to kill best to have 300 or 100g of leaves to kill. There should be documentation on yew here. From a deleted user but if you search the forum the information is there.

I also see that @onerousyawn is saying to boil out the oils, which yes I can attest to once the oil has been boiled out the poison sympmtoms become a slight heartache and limb numbness. Personally, I simmered the plant for 15 minutes, low temperature, then I added alcohol and simmered for 30. You want about 15-20% alcohol to water ratio.

PS. Where are u getting ur yew seeds or whatever? The yew species vary in toxicity and I suspect I've been getting the weaker ones. Perferable I want the seeds of the Japanese or European variant.

I experience no heartache or limb numbness in my tries so far. I get my leafs from european yew in a churchyard.

 

[EternalSkies]

So I ate another 14g raw this time. I went to the emergency just to get one ekg 3 hours after ingestion. I showed t-wave fluctuations as it always shows after ingesting yew.
Now 6 hours later I once again feel like my heart is exhausted and pumping harder/faster despite doing nothing

At home now. A little scary going to sleep tho. Considering ingesting an additional 11g now or in 8-10 hours

 

[onerousyawn]

Appreciate you keeping the updates going whilst still with us! May I ask - are you ingesting it on an empty stomach?

Also - is 3-6 hours after ingesting the point you'll know what you're working with? This delay of effect some have described makes me inclined to take things before bed so I can try to sleep into the process, (fanciful, I know).

I have gathered one needs a heroic dose to get anywhere with yew leaves. 100g + but, ultimately, the more the better.

Provided I'm not under 100g with things, I think I'll push on with the tincture & hope my toasted leaves still have something to them…the idea I'd have to wait until Winter to harvest & try again is enough to make me FS so that's become my plan B.

A (maybe daft) question I have persists: does the tincture have any advantage over the tea, in terms of taxine absorption?

 

[EternalSkies]

Usually I ingest on an empty stomach but I have slow digestion so effects take 6 hours to occur for me usually
When I wrote six hours I mean after ingesting. I think it highly depends on your own body. Most people have effects within 1 hour if taking a large dose from what iv read.

I think the dose depends a lot on the body, the tree etc. And also up to chance

Im not sure what a tincture is. But ingesting them raw seem to require a smaller dose to have visible effects on EKGs for me. But tea tastes way worse and get clearer effects felt personally. But might not be obvious on ekg

 

[bankai]

Very interesting choice of experimentation. My grandma's house had two yew trees flanking the front porch and I remember squishing the seeds out of the red berries and being emphatically warned not to eat them. I haven't seen them out in the wild around me. When I read about them as a method it said to harvest it in the winter for higher alkaloids. The thing about the fumes is great discovery. I'm thinking it was the essential oils or organic solvents evaporating. Now I'm wondering if a toxic plant sweat lodge is an idea worth exploring. Jimson weed grows around me but I don't want to go insane for three days before I die.

That's crazy. I wonder how many people died eating this stuff by mistake, how many pets died, etc.

 

[onerousyawn]

Ok, im remeasuring things, from all the dense branches I took and…it's barely registering as one gram! Surely I'm making an error somewhere.

Rn Im feeling like id need the whole bush to get close to 100g + :(

@EternalSkies how many handfuls of leaves would you say 14g is, to look at?

You can buy seeds from a particular gardening website in 100 seed packs…buying 14 packs will surely get you flagged?

Also, this is a tincture - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tincture

^main advantage is that it helps a person avoid having to choke down (what now seems like a lot of) yew plant matter whilst retaining the taxine content - more work but worth it if there really are that many leaves involved^

 

[EternalSkies]

You are probably weighing it wrong. Add something heavy and then add the content to weigh

 

[onerousyawn]

You are probably weighing it wrong. Add something heavy and then add the content to weigh

I'm using electric kitchen weighing scales, usually pretty sensitive. Do you weigh with a different method?

To eyeball though - would you say 14g is more or less than a one handful of leaves?

(Promise I won't keep on with asking, just trying to get better orientated)

 

[EternalSkies]

I also use a kitchen weighing scales.
I'd say 14 g is a handful or more. Its hard to say. I go by weight a branch size

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

To eyeball though - would you say 14g is more or less than a one handful of leaves?

This is just under 2 grams of fresh yew on my digital scale (1.92 to be exact). 7 times that for 14 grams would be a small handful. I will weigh it again when it's dry but assume dried leaf is going to weigh much less. People have used yew since ancient times but I haven't found their method of administration. I'm thinking it's probably tea if it requires this much plant material.

That's crazy. I wonder how many people died eating this stuff by mistake, how many pets died, etc.

Most accidental poisonings from yes don't end up in death. It's not something a cat or dog would eat either. Cat's tend to get poisoned from smaller toxic plants and flowers. Livestock is another story. There's all kinds of weeds that can make them sick or kill them when they're in an open grazing area.

 

[EternalSkies]

that looks like 1-3 grams to me
Oh just realized you wrote it was 2 g

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

that looks like 1-3 grams to me
Oh just realized you wrote it was 2 g

You eat it fresh? Are you chewing it up or swallowing most of it down unchewed?

 

[EternalSkies]

I used to make tea of it. Now I dry it and grind it down and just swallow it

 

[onerousyawn]

A cautionary tale of a Norwegian using yew from a Summertime harvest :

yew smoothie

i collected about 48grams of yew needles. was going to chew all of them, but the taste is so sickeningly bitter i chucked abt 35grams of it into my blender (so i won't have to chew). now i have a yew smoothie. the thing is, i smelled it, and i gagged. from the smell alone. i really want to ctb...

sanctioned-suicide.net

Feel like unless it's done in the Winter, the leaves are roulette with poor odds of success, enough to put people off all together.

In the spirit of experimentation of this thread, I'm going to make an alcohol derived tincture with what I have now, harvested in late April.

Alkaloids aren't water soluble so in theory this is the best way to liberate the taxine with as little interfering as possible. I have 100% proof Eastern European booze that's meant for making tinctures so can undertake the process. Will take a week, minimum, for the steeping stage.

A cautionary tale of a Norwegian using yew from a Summertime harvest :

yew smoothie

i collected about 48grams of yew needles. was going to chew all of them, but the taste is so sickeningly bitter i chucked abt 35grams of it into my blender (so i won't have to chew). now i have a yew smoothie. the thing is, i smelled it, and i gagged. from the smell alone. i really want to ctb...

sanctioned-suicide.net

Feel like unless it's done in the Winter, the leaves are roulette with poor odds of success, enough to put people off all together.

In the spirit of experimentation of this thread, I'm going to make an alcohol derived tincture with what I have now, harvested in late April.

Alkaloids aren't water soluble so in theory this is the best way to liberate the taxine with as little interfering as possible. I have 100% proof Eastern European booze that's meant for making tinctures so can undertake the process. Will take a week, minimum, for the steeping stage.

*the yew i harvested from is nearby so I can obtain more but its taxine levels will have depreciated a lot in the past 6 weeks (my God, how i wish i'd taken twice as much now! Was wary of drawing attention at the time)

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

I used to make tea of it. Now I dry it and grind it down and just swallow it

When you took 14 grams, is that fresh weight or after drying?

Most of what's written about how mush is required doesn't specify fresh vs dry weight.

In the spirit of experimentation of this thread, I'm going to make an alcohol derived tincture with what I have now, harvested in late April.

I anticipate still being around this winter. I found a lab and gave them a call. It costs $1195 to do a GC-MS test for taxine in a liquid sample just to confirm it's present. He said they need to do a 3rd party specialty reference to determine amounts and couldn't quote me on it but I assume it's at least as high as the other test. Then he started to press me on why I need it so I backed out of the call. For me it's cost prohibitive to go around making tinctures and sending them out for testing but at least my curiosity is satisfied. I suspect getting this test as a consumer would result in a knock on the door from some type of agency.

100% proof Eastern European booze

That sounds cool. In the US we have Everclear which can be bought at 190 proof/95%. I think 80-100 proof vodka might work too though. I don't know if you reduce the amount of liquid when making a tincture. I'll have to read up.

 

[Kali_Yuga13]

Been reading a little more about how taxine is extracted for chemotherapy drugs and found some wholesalers of raw plant powder. Apparently there's enough in the bark and roots but since they are from China they're using Pacifica and other varieties I never heard of. Not that I'm going to order any but if I do harvest my own I'll also take some bark shavings and also use two different shrubs from different locations. At my primary location I know they're at least 40 years old.

 

[EternalSkies]

When you took 14 grams, is that fresh weight or after drying?

Most of what's written about how mush is required doesn't specify fresh vs dry weight.

I anticipate still being around this winter. I found a lab and gave them a call. It costs $1195 to do a GC-MS test for taxine in a liquid sample just to confirm it's present. He said they need to do a 3rd party specialty reference to determine amounts and couldn't quote me on it but I assume it's at least as high as the other test. Then he started to press me on why I need it so I backed out of the call. For me it's cost prohibitive to go around making tinctures and sending them out for testing but at least my curiosity is satisfied. I suspect getting this test as a consumer would result in a knock on the door from some type of agency.


That sounds cool. In the US we have Everclear which can be bought at 190 proof/95%. I think 80-100 proof vodka might work too though. I don't know if you reduce the amount of liquid when making a tincture. I'll have to read up.

it was 14 g fresh weight if I remember right