Company Profile

Bighorn Botanicals, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Rus Willis. We began with a contract to harvest and process Pacific Yew bark (Taxus brevifolia) for a pharmaceutical company developing a chemotherapeutic drug from one of the hundreds of naturally-occurring compounds called Taxanes, discovered in the Yew tree.

By the time our contract was completed in 1993, we had become expert at drying and milling Pacific Yew. We processed 345,615 pounds of Yew bark during these years. Harvesting was performed by our network of collectors who supervised field crews in an area covering over 14,000 square miles in Northwestern Montana and Northern Idaho.

Harvest sites were mostly on Federally-owned National Forests in areas scheduled to be logged. We salvaged this natural resource since the Yew trees would have been destroyed during logging operations. YewTips™ are the hand-pruned branch tips which do not harm the Yew trees.

During the years of our contract, we began researching how Native Americans had used Pacific Yew as a medicinal herb for a variety of injuries. We found that some tribes referred to the Yew tree as "Chief-of-the-Forest". (See Ethnobotany in the Plant Profile section for relevant information.)

We wholesale to health care professionals, chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbal practitioners and retail herb-health food stores.

Four generations of our family have regularly used Montana YewTip® products for over 25 years for health maintenance, various ailments and injuries.

We completely control all harvest and manufacturing operations of our YewTip™ products in our 10,000 square foot processing and storage facility. Our extensive network of landowner connections, where wild Yew grows, encompass over 14,000 square miles in Northwestern Montana and Northern Idaho, including Federal, State and private lands. All harvest areas are on a minimum four year rotation to ensure sustainability.

We are licensed with Montana Department of Health and Human Services and registered with the FDA. We comply with 21CFR111, Good Manufacturing Practice regulations, and have been inspected by FDA.

Bighorn Botanicals Inc. is the originator of Montana YewTip® products and is currently the only company in the world supplying these products to the industry and individuals.

• American Herbal Products Association (member since 1996)
• American Botanical Council

Bighorn Botanicals, Inc. is located in northwestern Montana near the rural town of Noxon, a pristine environment of mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and wildlife. Our company name is taken from the Bighorn sheep that live on the mountains surrounding our homes.

If not satisfied with our products for any reason, return within 30 days for a full refund of the product amount.

The information contained in this website has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or any other agencies, and nothing stated is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The content is intended for informational purposes only. It is in no way meant to be a substitute for professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner, nor should it be construed as such.

There is no responsibility or liability, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by the information on this website.

Please do not ask for medical advice or an opinion regarding personal health situations. We are not doctors, therefore cannot provide it.

• Office: 406-847-5597
• Toll Free: 888-847-1223
• Fax 406-847-5502
• email: nox5597@blackfoot.net