Salix alba, commonly referred to as white willow bark, is derived from the bark of the willow tree. The use of willow bark for medicinal purposes dates back thousands of years. Despite its long history of use, white willow can cause unwanted side effects, and you should talk to your health care practitioner before supplementing with white willow bark.
Active Ingredients
White willow contains salicin, which is the compound that aspirin is derived from. In addition to containing salicin, willow bark contains a variety of phtochemicals, including beta carotene, tannins, catechins and flavonoids. Phytochemicals are antioxidant substances found naturally in plants that are thought to help prevent disease in humans. White willow also contains the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc as well as the vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3 and C.
White Willow Bark Uses
White willow bark has pain-relieving properties, and it can help to reduce inflammation and joint pain. According to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, or MSKCC, willow bark has proven useful for the management of back pain and osteoarthritis. Other purported uses of white willow bark include for the treatment of allergies, bursitis, fever, flu, headaches, menstrual cramps, muscle pain, nerve pain, nosebleeds, pain, tendinitis, toothaches, varicose veins and weight loss.
White Willow Bark vs. Aspirin
When you take a white willow bark supplement, your intestinal tract and liver convert the compounds found in the herb into the compound salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is the compound responsible for white willow's and aspirin's pain-relieving properties, but in aspirin, the salicylic acid is readily available and does not need to be converted. As such, aspirin produces more rapid pain- and inflammation-relieving effects, but MSKCC says that once the therapeutic properties of willow bark are expressed, they tend be effective for a longer time than aspirin.
Dosage and Precautions
White willow bark supplements can be found in capsule, dry and liquid extract form. "Nursing Herbal Medicine Handbook" states that the therapeutic capsule dose is 400 mg, while the extract should state "1:5 extract, standardized to contain 15 percent salicin." Adverse reactions of white willow bark are similar to those from aspirin and may include gastrointestinal bleeding, nausea and vomiting. If you have an allergy to aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, you should not take willow bark. White willow is also not recommended for use during pregnancy and it may interfere with the absorption of certain minerals such as iron.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis Balch; 2003
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Willow Bark
- "Nursing Herbal Medicine Handbook;" Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2005
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