The common yew can grow up to 25 meters tall and live for 1,500 years. This slow growing tree would have appeared 120 million years ago. It has always been venerated because it cannot be classified: neither resinous nor coniferous. Yew wood was widely used in the Middle Ages for making bows, crossbows, spears and even shields. In addition to being robust and flexible, yew is rot-proof and very stable. All parts of the tree are very toxic, except for the red flesh of its vitamin C-rich fruits called “arils”. But it is better to forbid any consumption and leave them to the birds. Discomfort or hallucinatory reveries occur from time to time when the temptation to rest in the shade of a yew tree is too strong.
The hidden power of trees by Thierry Beaufort – forest therapist, told by Magalie Rohm – Gestalt therapist