For thousands of years, people have used white willow bark to relieve pain, inflammation and fevers. The chemical compound in white willow bark called salicylic acid was the basis for creating aspirin. There are some safety concerns involved with taking white willow bark remedies, so you should consult with your doctor before taking the herb for any purpose.
Uses
White willow bark is most commonly used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory herb. You might use white willow bark to treat pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fevers and bursitis, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Specifically, white willow bark is sometimes recommended for relieving pain and inflammation associated with headaches, menstrual cramps, tendonitis and back strain or sprain. Ask a health care professional before taking white willow bark to treat any health problem.
Dosage
You can take white willow bark in the form of a tea, capsule or tincture. You might take capsules of powdered white willow bark standardized to contain up to 240 mg of salicin daily, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Or, you might take 3 or 4 cups of white willow tea each day, made by boiling 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried bark in 8 ounces of water and simmered for 10 or 15 minutes. For the white willow extract tincture, take 4 to 6 mL three times daily. These are generally thought to be the safest doses of white willow bark remedies, but you should ask your doctor about the proper dosage for you before taking the herb.
Side Effects
White willow bark can cause many of the same side effects as aspirin. You could experience side effects like stomach upset, but these are usually mild. If you’re allergic to aspirin or other herbs and medications containing salicylates, you shouldn’t take white willow bark due to the potentially serious side effect of an allergic reaction, warns the University of Michigan Health System. Also, you could experience other side effects while taking white willow bark, such as ringing in your ears, bloody stools, nausea and vomiting, Drug Digest says.
Health Risks
Like aspirin, white willow bark may pose some potentially dangerous health risks. White willow bark can cause Reye’s syndrome, a serious disease in children, so you shouldn’t give the herb to a child, warns the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. If you have kidney problems, gastritis or stomach ulcers, white willow bark can worsen these conditions and cause kidney inflammation or stomach bleeding. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you shouldn’t take white willow bark due to its content of salicylates, cautions the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Drug Interactions
White willow bark could interfere with certain medications, so you should talk with your doctor about these potential interactions before taking the herbal remedy. White willow bark can increase the effects of blood-thinning medications like aspirin, heparin and Coumadin, posing potential bleeding risks. White willow bark might also increase the effects of methotrexate and Dilantin, medications used to treat diabetes, as well as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like Aleve, Advil and Motrin. The herb could decrease the effects of diuretics, or “water pills,” and beta blockers, as well as interfere with sulfonamide drugs.
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