Taxol, which is initially harvested in the form of a white powder, appears as a colorless liquid when it is prepared for medical use. This liquid is provided to patients intravenously, usually once every three weeks. The drug, which is most commonly utilized for treatment of ovarian, breast, lung, and testis cancers, interferes with the process of mitosis within the body, stemming the uncontrolled cell proliferation associated with tumor growth. Taxol does often produce, however, a number of undesirable side effects, many of which are similar to those generated by chemotherapy. Patients that are administered taxol, for instance, may experience hair loss, nausea, numbness, muscle pain, and digestive problems, as well as a decrease in red and white blood cell counts.