White Willow Bark
Species Name: Salix alba
Also Known As: European willow, black willow, pussy willow, Salix nigra, crack willow, Salix fragilis, purple willow, Salix purpurea, weeping willow, Salix babylonica, and Salicin willow.
White Willow is deciduous tree native to Europe and western and central Asia. The name comes from the white color of the leaf’s underside.
What is White Willow Bark? The bark of the White Willow tree is used in bulk powder or capsule form.
It is also found in tinctures and extracts. The willow bark sold in Europe and the United States usually includes a combination of the bark from white, purple, and crack willows.
Home Remedies Using White Willow Bark:
Benefits of White Willow Bark:
One of the first incidences of Willow Bark use was found in the 5th century BC when Hippocrates wrote about a bitter powder extracted from willow bark that could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers.
Throughout history Willow Bark’s pain and fever reducing qualities have been mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria.
In 1763, the Reverend Edmund Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, England, also wrote about Willow Bark and its use in the treatment of fevers.
Today White Willow Bark is still used in the treatment of fever, aches, and pains. This includes headache pain and fever from colds and flu.
White willow bark is also used in the treatment of disorders that involve pain and inflammation, including arthritis, and heart disease.
Since White willow bark contains the same salicylates used in aspirin, but in a less concentrated form and a form that may be more readily assimilated by the body, it may be a better choice for the treatment of chronic pain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Because White willow bark doesn’t increase the risk of stomach bleeding and ulcers in the same way as aspirin, it may be better to drink willow bark tea instead of taking a lose dose aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke by thinning the blood.
Other uses and treatments for white willow bark include:
- Reduce blood sugar
- Suppress inflammation and uterine cramping due to prostaglandins
- Reduce the risk of stomach and colon cancer
- Menstrual cramps
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
Research on white willow bark includes one that found, “In a 4-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 210 individuals with back pain, two doses of willow bark extract were compared against placebo.
The higher-dose group received extract supplying 240 mg of salicin daily; in this group, 39 percent were pain-free for at least 5 days of the last week of the study.
In the lower-dose group (120 mg salicin daily), 21percent became pain free. In contrast, only 6 percent of those given placebo became pain-free.
Stomach distress did not occur in this study. The only significant side effect seen was an allergic reaction in one participant given willow.”
Side Effects of White Willow Bark:
It is important to note that White Willow Bark should never be given to children for the treatment of fever, from cold, flu, chickenpox or any fever. This is because White Willow, like aspirin, may cause the potentially fatal Reye syndrome in children with these illnesses.
Side effects White Willow Bark tend to be mild. This may include stomach upset, ulcers and stomach bleeding. An overdose of willow bark can cause skin rash, stomach inflammation or irritation, nausea, vomiting, kidney inflammation, and tinnitus which is a ringing in the ears.
Do not use white willow bark if you have ulcers or a gastrointestinal condition, without consulting your health practitioner first. Avoid taking White Willow Bark if you are also taking blood thinners, as it may increase the action of these medications.
