Most back pain resolves with little or no treatment in only a few days, according to a 2005 report by sports medicine doctors at the University of Washington. But when pain is too prolonged or severe, physicians usually prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, called NSAIDs, like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxin. Willow bark has treated back pain since it was prescribed by Hippocrates in 400 BC. The herb contains a suite of natural NSAIDs, including aspirin-like salicin.
Sources
Willow trees grow throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Weeping willows, Salix babylonica, and pussy willows, also called black willow, Salix nigra, are the best known varieties. Others include the white or European willow, Salix alba; the purple willow, Salix purpurea; and the crack willow, Salix fragilis. Most willow bark sold as herbal teas and dietary supplements in the United States and Europe contain white, purple and crack willows.
Uses
According to a research report published in 2000 by physicians in the Pain Relief Unit of Technion Institute in Israel, willow bark is a safe and effective treatment for lower back pain. Willow bark also relieves other painful conditions accompanying back pain, including common headaches and migraines, the inflammation of osteoarthritis, symptoms of cold and flu and menstrual cramps.
Willow bark is as effective as aspirin, but in lower doses. Salicin's pain-killing is bolstered by the other ingredients in the bark, including antiseptic compounds, immune-boosting substances and potent anti-oxidants.
Administration
Physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center have published simple administration guidelines. Willow bark is usually taken as tea or, for people who don't like the flavor, in capsules. Tea is brewed from dried, crushed bark. Boil 8 oz. of water and add 1 to 2 tsp of dried bark. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then let it steep for about a half hour. Generally, 3 to 4 cups a day are suggested. Some like it and some like it cold, sweetened to taste. Capsules contain finely powdered bark, standardized to provide salicin in a dose of 60 to 240 mg.
Precautions
Willow bark is a safe and mild home remedy, with rare side effects. Salicin sensitivity is similar to aspirin sensitivity, capable of aggravating ulcers with bleeding, stomach upset, vomiting and nausea. Some asthma sufferers can experience an attack after using willow bark. Tinnitus, a ringing sound in the ears, is known to occur rarely. A skin rash may result from taking too much willow bark.
Medication Interactions
If you take diuretics, or water pills, willow bark may decrease their effectiveness. Dilantin, a brand name for phenytoin, used for seizure disorders, and methotrexate, used for arthritis and cancer, can become concentrated to toxic levels in your blood if you use willow bark.
Taking willow bark with Advil or Motrin, brand names for ibuprofen, and Aleve, a brand name for naproxen, may raise your risk for stomach bleeding. Using willow bark with beta-blockers, a class of heart drugs, can alter their effectiveness. Brand names include Inderal and Inderal LA, generically called propranol, Tenormin, generically called atenolol, and Lopressor or Toprol-XL, generically called metoprolol.
