A high yield, economical process for purifying taxanes from yew biomass is disclosed. The process does not require initial liquid:liquid portioning of the crude extract to separate highly polar substances. The organic solvent extract of the biomass is adsorbed onto and selectively desorbed from an adsorption resin to provide a taxane enriched eluate. Substantially pure individual taxanes may be further isolated from the eluate by hydrophobic-interaction chromatography.