Because taxol's chemical formula is complex, to date researchers have only been able to synthesize half the molecule, and currently to extract the amount of the drug needed for a course of treatment for one patient requires processing the bark from four to six trees.
由於紫杉醇化學程式複雜，至今研究人員只能化學合成出一半程式，目前一位病人療程所需的紫杉醇用量，仍須由四至六棵太平洋紫杉去提煉。