Willow bark extract is an aspirin-like herbal remedy that's most commonly used to ease pain and inflammation. You can take willow bark extract to treat pain and inflammation related to a wide variety of conditions, including arthritis and headaches. Before taking willow bark extract, you should consult your physician to discuss any potential risks, side effects or drug interactions.
History
Taken from the white willow tree, or Salix alba, willow bark extract has been used for thousands of years as an herbal remedy to treat headaches and other pain, arthritis and fever. In China, beginning in 500 B.C., willow bark has been used in herbal medicinal remedies, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Scientists used salicylic acid derived from willow bark extract to create the first model for aspirin during the 1800s, says the University of Michigan Health System.
Benefits
Willow bark extract can offer many benefits, but its use in relieving pain is the most profound. You can take willow bark extract to treat your pain related to bursitis, menstrual problems, migraines and tension headaches, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and tendonitis, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Today, people take willow bark extract to treat back pain and sometimes fevers, notes the University of Michigan Health System.
Function
Willow bark extract's main functions are to relieve pain and inflammation. Willow bark contains phenolic glycosides, which convert to salicylic acid in the liver and gastrointestinal tract, explains the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This conversion to salicylic acid, or salicin, is what produces the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects in the body, says the University of Michigan Health System. Willow bark also contains tannins that offer astringent effects.
Scientific Evidence
A 2001 double-blind clinical trial revealed that the herb helped to treat osteoarthritis, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Another two-month-long, double-blind study published in 1996 found that taking 100mg daily of willow bark extract helped to relieve pain and improve mobility in people with osteoarthritis, notes the University of Michigan Health System. A 2000 double-blind randomized study of 210 people with back pain found that taking 240mg of willow bark salicin daily helped 39 percent of the study participants to be free of pain during the last week of the month-long study. Approximately 21 percent of the study participants who took 120mg of salicin per day were pain-free, compared with only 6 percent of the placebo group, reported the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dosage
To relieve pain and inflammation, you should take the typical dosage of willow bark extract that's equal to 120mg to 240mg of salicin content per day, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You can also make a tea by boiling ¼- to ½-tsp. of willow bark in 7 oz. of water for about 10 minutes, drinking the tea about five times daily, recommends the University of Michigan Health System.
Dangers
Although willow bark extract is often taken in doses that are equivalent to a "baby aspirin," long-term or excessive use of the extract could produce the same side effects as aspirin, such as bleeding and stomach irritation. You shouldn't give willow bark to children, because they could develop Reye's syndrome, a condition related to aspirin use, warns the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Also, don't take willow bark extract if you have a bleeding disorder like hemophilia, an allergy to aspirin or kidney disease. Avoid taking willow bark if you have gastritis or stomach ulcers, because the herb could worsen your condition, cautions the University of Michigan Health System.
Interactions
You should avoid taking willow bark extract if you take blood-thinning medications like antiplatelets or anticoagulants such as Coumadin, warns the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Also, don't take willow bark while taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or "NSAIDs." Don't take willow bark extract with aspirin, Dilantin, methotrexate, sulfonamide drugs, potassium-sparing diuretics like spironolactone or valproic acid, cautions the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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