* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
White Willow Salix alba L.
Family: Salicaceae.
Other Names: Saule blanc (French); Silberweide (German); salice bianco (Italian).
Description: White wiliow is a deciduous tree (up to 20 m), with erect branches bearing oblong, somewhat silvery leaves and attractive catkins (spikes of naked flowers) - those on male trees with protruding yellow stamens, those on female trees with green styles. Several salicin-rich species such as the basket willow (S. purpurea) and crack or brittle willow (S. fragilis) are recommended today for commercial bark harvesting. A cultivar of S. alba is famous as the traditional source of timber for making cricket bats.
Origin: Europe and Asia (S. alba, S. fragilis); Europe and North Africa to Asia (S. purpurea). Willow bark is produced mainly in eastern and southeastern Europe.
Parts Used: Dried bark, from two to three year old branches (Salicis cortex) (today mainly from S. purpurea).
Uses and Properties: Willow bark is traditionally used against fever, flu, rheumatism, headaches and other minor pain.
Preparation and Dosage: A tea can be made by adding 2 - 3 g of chopped or powdered bark to a cup of cold water and heating it to boiling point. A cupful is drunk three or four times per day. Extracts of willow bark are ingredients of various commercial phyto-medicines (analgesics, antirheumatics, sedatives and stomachics).
Active Ingredients: The main active ingredients are phenolic glycosides, such as salicylates (salicortin, salicin, tremulacin), syringin, and triandrin; furthermore phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid) and oligomeric proanthocyanidins (1%). Salicortin is hydrolysed to salicin (either in the plant or after ingestion) and the salicin in turn is converted (by intestinal hydrolysis) to saligenin (salicyl alcohol). Saligenin is absorbed into the bloodstream and oxidised in the liver to salicylic acid (the main active substance). The acetylated form of salicylic acid is the well known analgesic, aspirin.
Pharmacological Effects: Salicylic acid inhibits cyclooxygenase, the key enzyme of prostaglandin biosynthesis. As prostaglandins mediate pain and inflammation, the observed anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic and analgesic effects appear plausible. Controlled clinical studies support these claims. Salicin, unlike aspirin, does not irritate the stomach.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
