White willow bark and aspirin are very similar medications that can help to treat pain, inflammation and fevers. They also both have similar safety issues, including nearly identical potential side effects and drug interactions. Before taking white willow bark in place of aspirin, you should first consult your doctor.
Effects
Both aspirin and white willow bark have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet and fever-reducing effects. White willow and aspirin can relieve pain and inflammation relating to arthritis, tendonitis and headaches. Aspirin might also help to thin your blood and prevent excessive clotting of blood platelets, which could help prevent heart attacks, strokes and angina, says the University of Michigan Health System. Aspirin is sometimes recommended for protecting bypass grafts and stents surgically inserted into the cardiovascular system, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Talk with your physician before taking white willow for any purpose or aspirin to treat a chronic condition.
Function
Both aspirin and white willow bark contain similar active compounds. White willow bark's main constituent is salicin, a compound that's very similar to the acetylsalicylic acid or "salicylate" in aspirin, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Salicin and salicylate have the same anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antiplatelet effects. The salicin in white willow bark was the historical basis for the development of modern-day aspirin, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Dangers
Due to their similar chemical makeup, aspirin and white willow bark have many of the same side effects, health risk and drug interactions. This means that if you're allergic to aspirin, you might also be allergic to white willow bark. Like aspirin, white willow bark can worsen asthma and peptic ulcers, as well as increase your bleeding risks if you have hemophilia or are also taking blood-thinning medications like Coumadin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center. Children under the age of 16 and women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy shouldn't take aspirin or white willow bark due to the rare but serious Reye's syndrome. White willow bark and aspirin can produce similar side effects as well, including stomach pain, acid reflux, nausea and vomiting. White willow bark can also interfere with beta blockers, diuretics and the drug Dilantin.
Timeframe & Dosages
Although aspirin begins to relieve pain and inflammation quicker than white willow bark, the herbal alternative's effects sometimes last for longer periods of time, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Aspirin is typically available in the form of chewable or enteric-coated tablets, as well as rectal suppositories, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The dosage of aspirin usually depends on the purpose, with dosages for pain usually higher than those for antiplatelet effects. On the other hand, you can take white willow bark in the form of encapsulated powdered herb, tea or tincture. You might take 4 to 6 mL of willow bark tincture three times daily, capsules containing 60 to 240 mg of salicin daily, or three to four cups of tea made by simmering 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried bark in 8 ounces of boiling water for 15 minutes. Ask your doctor about the correct dose of white willow bark or aspirin before taking either remedy.
Expert Insight
Aspirin's beneficial effects are well-established and the medication is widely used around the world in over-the-counter remedies. White willow bark is less-established in medicinal uses, however. Some clinical trials and medical studies have shown that white willow bark can provide many of the same actions as aspirin. For example, a review of clinical trials on white willow bark concluded that the herb can effectively treat musculoskeletal or low-back pain, according to a 2009 issue of Phytotherapy Research. A double-blind study published in the same journal in 2001 found that white willow bark can effectively treat pain and inflammation from osteoarthritis, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. White willow bark proved to be an effective anti-inflammatory herbal treatment in a review of double-blind clinical trials published in Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America in 2000, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center.
