Author: Lorena Tran

Throughout history, willow has been commonly used as a pain reliever. Ancient Egyptians used extracts of willow leaves to treat nonspecific pains, while ancient Greeks used willow to lessen pains during childbirth[1]. Sumerians also used willow leaves to treat inflammatory and arthritic conditions. More recently, Native American tribes use willow to treat fevers, headaches, and arthritis[2].

In the 1900s, the active compound of willow, salicin, was modified to create aspirin. Because salicin is very similar to the active compound in aspirin, willow bark powder or extract could potentially be substituted for aspirin to relieve mild pain[3]. This notion has not been thoroughly studied, but researchers found that willow bark extract can treat lower back pains, joint pains associated with arthritis, fever, and general body aches[2, 3].

Sources:

[1] Desborough MJR, Keeling DM. The aspirin story – from willow to wonder drug. British Journal of Haematology. 2017 Jun;177(5):674-683.

[2] Montinari MR, Minelli S, De Caterina R. The first 3500 years of aspirin history from its roots – A concise summary. Vascular Pharmacology. 2019 Feb;113:1-8.

[3] Shara M, Stohs SJ. Efficacy and Safety of White Willow Bark (Salix alba) Extracts. Phytotherapy Research. 2015 Aug;29(8):1112-6.