Having made a bet with his friend on whether yew or juniper is more poisonous, a 39-year-old Caucasian healthy man consumed a decoction from needles of the common yew (Taxus baccata) at approximately midnight. Gradually, weakness, nausea and vomiting began. Subsequently, clonic spasms developed in his extremities, followed by heart failure and blood circulation arrest. Urgent resuscitation, assisted via telephone, was started according to the instructions given by the dispatch center and lasted for five minutes. The emergency call was received at 7.30 a.m., and an ambulance arrived at 7.35 a.m. He arrived in the emergency department at 8.15 a.m., where bradyarrhythmia of 25 to 30 beats/min shifted to ventricular tachycardia (fibrillation) with repeated defibrillation. Indirect heart massage by means of an AutoPulse® (Zoll Medical Corporation, Chelmsford, MA, USA) device and extended cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were performed the entire time. Blood circulation was supported with noradrenaline 0.1mg/min intravenously. Adrenaline was repeatedly administered at a total dose of 6mg intravenously, plus sodium bicarbonate 300ml 8.4%, calcium gluconicum 10ml, calcium resonium 6 in graduated measures into a nasogastric tube, amiodarone 450mg intravenously and potassium and magnesium hydrogen aspartate 20ml intravenously. External and internal stimulation of the heart was ineffective. Taking into account the known cause of the blood circulation arrest and the probable absence of a delay in CPR, the introduction of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was indicated as a rescue support therapy until the blood circulation was stabilized. DigiFab® (digoxin-reactive Fab protein, Protherics Inc., Brentwood, TN, USA) 120mg intravenously as an antidote was administered. Gradually, his blood circulation stabilized, and his heart rate was restored. Concurrently, clinical and laboratory signs of adult respiratory distress syndrome were observed. Corticotherapy with methylprednisolone 125mg intravenously once daily was started. VA-ECMO was successfully disconnected the next day; his oxygenation improved, and his Glasgow Coma Scale score was 3. An attempt to discontinue the use of sedation led to the development of generalized spastic activity. Our patient was evaluated for serious post-hypoxic encephalopathy with generalized myoclonic seizures. After a protracted, intensive rehabilitation period and symptomatic therapy, our patient was bedridden and breathing spontaneously, with minimal cortical reactivity and a persisting serious neurological deficit. It is not clear if our patient’s improvement was due to the therapy with DigiFab® or the result of supportive therapy. A native computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain showed slight hypodensity in the basal ganglia and post-ischemic changes after prolonged hypoxemia (Figure 1).