Custom Search

Learn how to get a good nights sleep, cure a cold, lower your blood sugar, lose weight, and supercharge your energy for pennies a day. - and so much more..
Download the free sample

White Willow Salix Alba

Buy White Willow Bark Bark, Powder, Capsules & Extracts

White willow dried bark

Common Names

White Willow Bark

Botanical Name

Salix Alba

Family

SALICACEAE

Benefits and Uses of White Willow Bark

How to Use| White Willow Bark Product Info | Side Effects | Plant & Garden|

White willow has been used to combat fevers and pain for thousands of years. Willow bark may be the oldest herb known to treat pain and inflammation, the oldest recorded use is by Chinese physicians in 500 B.C. White willow was also used in ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, and Greek medicine as well as by Native American healers in North America.

The inner bark of the white willow tree contains salicin, which is changed to salicylic acid in the body. The compound in aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, is derived from salicylic acid. Herbalists use white willow much the same as aspirin, ie; to reduce fevers, pain, and inflammation in conditions such as painful menstruation, arthritis, and neuralgia. White willow works slower but lasts longer than aspirin and has less side gastronomic side effects due to the large amounts of tannins that protect the stomach. Willow is used mainly in weight loss formulations to enhance the actions of other herbs. This is sometimes referred to as "stacking" in body building.

White willow can be used in skin and beauty treatments. Make a strong tea of the bark (decoction) and apply the cooled liquid to aid healing of sores, burns, or cuts. Decoctions of willow bark tea can be used as a gargle to treat inflamed gums.

Medicinal Uses: * Arthritis * Colds * Cramps/abdominal * Cuts & Wounds * Diet/weight Loss * Fibromyalgia * Headache/Migraine * Lupus * Osteoporosis * Pain Relief * Rheumatoid_arthritis
Properties: * Analgesic * Anti-inflammatory * AntiCancer * Antirheumatic * Astringent * Febrifuge * Warm
Parts Used: Bark
Constituents: tannin, salicin

See Also :Balm of Gilead *

White Willow Side Effects: Do not take willow bark if you are allergic to aspirin, are currently taking anti-platelet or anticoagulant drugs as this may increase the chance of stomach bleeding.

^ Top^

How to Use: White Willow

Remedies using White Willow Bark Learn More... Preparation Methods & Dosage :Often taken in capsules, a suggested dosage is 225 mg of white willow bark four times daily, but follow package directions on capsules and tinctures. It is hard to judge the amount of salicin in the bark, a bark tea can normally be taken 3 to 4 times daily, a daily cup or two of willow bark tea would probably provide the equivalent of the low aspirin dose recommended for heart attack prevention. Use the chopped bark, not the powdered bark to make your tea. Add ginger, anise, or cinnamon to enhance the flavor. Tinctures of willow bark (1-2 dropperfuls/1-2 ml) are highly effective way to take the herb. White willow is best when used over long periods of time.

Mountain Rose Herbs
Herbal Products featuring White Willow Bark

Certified Organic White Willow Bark

Salix alba Origin- Poland 218

See Details for White Willow Bark at Mountain Rose

Certified Organic White Willow Bark capsules

(Salix alba) 500mg/100 capsules 739

See Details for White Willow Bark capsules at Mountain Rose

Certified Organic White Willow Extract

Salix alba Extracted from: Dried Bark Ratio- 1:4 1024

See Details for White Willow Extract at Mountain Rose

Plant Description

Salix alba leaves

The white willow tree grows north to Nova Scotia and south to Georgia over the eastern portion of North America. A large tree with rough gray bark and slender, graceful branches that produce tiny, yellow flowers in April and May followed by thin, green leaves. The bark is easily separable through the summer, and is the part that is used medicinally.

History and Traditions & Folklore

The active extract of the bark, called salicin, after the Latin name for the White Willow (Salix alba), was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin, like aspirin, is a chemical derivative of salicylic acid. Wikipedia

References:

Bulk Herbs

Bitters & Syrups

Herbal Extracts

Herbal Health

Looking for something you can read offline? Join our mailing list and get a free copy of Methods for Using Herbs. This free handbook includes instructions on how to make basic herbal preparations at home. It covers making herbal teas, herb infused oils and balms, tinctures and more.