White willow

willow bark (Salicis cortex)

The white willow (Salix alba) is a tree with narrow leaves, silvery haired on the underside, and pliant branches, growing beside water, in riverside groves and on wet ground. The branches are so supple that baskets were woven from them, which is where the Slovenian name for willow withies comes from.

The bark of young branches, two or three years old, is used. It is peeled in spring, when the sap is running and the bark comes away from the wood easily; it is peeled from cut branches and not from a standing tree. The bark is cut up and dried in the shade.

Willow bark contains salicylates, and acetylsalicylic acid takes its name from them. With an allergy to salicylates, or while taking medicines that thin the blood, consult a pharmacist before using it. In Ašič's collection willow bark appears in the PutiSIT blend.

Use and evidence

The EMA monograph for willow bark takes in certain species of the genus Salix and limited uses for short-term pain, fever with a cold or minor joint pain, depending on the preparation. It is not equivalent to aspirin. EMA.