Salix alba

Description

White willow (Salix alba) is a large tree that grows in Central and Southern Europe, Asia, and North America. Also known as European willow or baywillow, this tree prefers to root near streams and rivers and grows to a height of 35–75 ft (11–25 m). In the spring, the slender branches first sprout tiny, yellow flowers and then long, thin green leaves.

White willow belongs to the Salicaceae family. There are over 300 species of willow, but only several species are used medicinally: white willow (S. alba), purple willow (S. purpurea), violet willow (S. daphnoides), and crack willow (S. fragilis).

General Use

White willow is the oldest recorded analgesic, or painkiller, in human history. Chinese physicians have used white willow since 500 B.C. to relieve pain and lower fevers. White willow was also used in ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, and Greek medicine as well. The Greek physicians Dioscorides, Hippocrates, and Galen recommended white willow to remedy fevers and pain. Native American tribes, including the Cherokee, Blackfoot, Iroquois, and Eskimo peoples, created a tea from closely related species of the bark to relieve headaches, fever, sore muscles, chills, rheumatism, and general aches and pains. White willow was used in Europe to stop vomiting, remove warts, and suppress sexual desire in addition to treating fevers and pains.

In the mid-1700s, white willow was used in Britain as a remedy for malaria since the bark was similar to cinchona bark, a South American bark used to treat malaria. In 1828, European chemists extracted the constituent salicin from white willow bark and converted it to salicylic acid. At the end of the nineteenth century, acetylsalicylic acid was synthetically produced and aspirin was born. Due to the cheap and easy production of aspirin, white willow eventually lost its popularity as a pain and fever reliever.

In modern times, however, white willow is being recalled as nature's aspirin and gaining popularity around the world as an alternative treatment for fevers and inflammatory and painful conditions such as bursitis, tendinitis, headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, osteoarthritis, menstrual cramps, and muscle aches. White willow has been approved by the German Commission E for treating fevers, rheumatic ailments, and headaches. In France, white willow is used to remedy headaches, toothache pain, tendinitis, and muscle sprains. The British Herbal Compendium has administered white willow as a treatment for rheumatic and arthritic conditions, colds, and influenza.

How White Willow Works

The inner bark contains tannins, flavonoids, phenolic glycosides, and anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing salicylates. The high concentration of tannins may be responsible for relieving gastrointestinal disturbances and reducing tumors of the esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum.

White willow's analgesic effect works to inhibit the production of prostaglandins, a hormone-like chemical that is produced by the body in response to injury and causes aches, pains, and inflammation. Thus, white willow is beneficial in treating acute and chronic pain and inflammation in conditions such as painful menstruation, arthritis, and neuralgia. White willow is best when used over long periods of time and can take days to improve conditions.

The active ingredient in white willow is salicin. Salicin is gradually converted along with other compounds in white willow into salicylic acid in the intestine and liver. Because of this conversion process, white willow generally takes longer to act than aspirin, but the effects may last for an extended period of time. As a result, white willow is mild on the stomach and usually does not cause bleeding or other gastrointestinal discomfort that often occurs with aspirin usage.

White Willow Vs. Aspirin

Herbalists claim that white willow can sometimes be used in the same conditions as aspirin. One benefit to white willow use is that the natural salicylic acid present in white willow reportedly produces fewer side effects than the synthetically produced acetylsalicylic acid of aspirin.

Aspirin has been recommended as a treatment to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by lessening the chance of internal blood clots. Preventative benefits of white willow in these cases have not been determined, primarily because the salicin content of the bark varies. Herbal experts believe that most willow bark samples contain enough salicin to have a similar effect.

Preparations

The bark of young tree branches (two or three years old) is harvested during the early spring. The grayish bark is separated from the tree, then either dried or used fresh. White willow is commercially available in tincture, tablet, capsule, powder, or tea forms. When choosing a commercial preparation, it is recommended to use a standard product that contains 200–250 mg of white willow per dose.

The recommended daily dosage is 100–250 mg of white willow every four hours. To relieve arthritic, back, and muscle aches and pains, the recommended dosage is 225 mg of white willow bark four times daily.

A decoction made from willow bark is used both internally and externally. To make a decoction, combine 1 tsp chopped or powdered white willow bark with 8–10 oz of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes. Drink three or four times daily. This mixture can also be gargled to help inflamed gums and tonsils. Cooled and applied externally, the decoction helps aid healing of sores, burns, or cuts.

Tincture dosage: 2 ml three times daily.

Precautions

Persons with tinnitus should not take white willow.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women should consult their healthcare practitioner before taking white willow.

Persons who are sensitive to aspirin should use caution when taking white willow as it may irritate their stomachs.

Administration of aspirin to children under the age of 16 to relieve symptoms of cold, flu, or chickenpox may cause a rare condition called Reye's syndrome. Reye's syndrome is characterized by vomiting, swelling of the brain, and liver damage; and may be fatal. Reye's syndrome is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment by qualified medical professionals. The toll-free hot line number of the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation is listed below.

While white willow is metabolized differently from aspirin, there is still a similarity between the two, and it is recommended that white willow not be given in these situations.

Persons with a bleeding disorder, ulcer, colitis, Crohn's disease, kidney or liver disease, or diabetes should not take this herb.

Children over 12 and persons over 65 should take white willow in low initial doses. Children under the age of 12 should not use white willow at all.

Side Effects

Excessive doses of white willow may cause stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, or ringing in the ears. If this occurs, should be stopped white willow.

Interactions

In general, persons considering taking white willow preparations should first consult a physician or registered pharmacist, as white willow interacts with a number of nonprescription as well as prescription medications.

Persons who are allergic to aspirin should not use white willow.

White willow should not be taken in combination with aspirin or such nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as ibuprofen or naproxen, alcohol, or blood-thinning medications.

White willow has been reported to have adverse interactions with bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol), celecoxib (Celebrex), repaglinide (Prandin), and ticlopidine (Ticlid). It increases the action of metaclopramide (Reglan), but reduces the effectiveness of diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), ketoprofen (Orudis), and nadolol (Corgard).

Resources

Books

Pelletier, Kenneth R., MD. The Best Alternative Medicine, Chapter 6, "Western Herbal Medicine: Nature's Green Pharmacy." New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.

Prevention. The Complete Book of Natural and Medicinal Cures. Rodale Press Inc., 1994.

Periodicals

Appelboom, T. "Arthropathy in Art and the History of Pain Management—Through the Centuries to Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors." Rheumatology (Oxford) 41 (April 2002): Supplement 1, 28-34.

Brune, K. "Next Generation of Everyday Analgesics." American Journal of Therapeutics 9 (May-June 2002): 215-223.

Riddle, J. M. "History as a Tool in Identifying 'new' Old Drugs." Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 505 (2002): 89-94.

Organizations

American Herbalists Guild. 1931 Gaddis Road, Canton, GA 30115. (770) 751-6021. .

National Reye's Syndrome Foundation. P. O. Box 829, Bryan, OH 43506. (800) 233-7393. .

[Article by: Jennifer Wurges; Rebecca J. Frey, PhD]

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: large willow tree of Eurasia and North Africa having grayish canescent leaves and gray bark
  Synonyms: Huntingdon willow, Salix alba

White Willow redirects here. See White Willow (band) for the Norwegian band.

Golden Willow redirects here. See Golden Willow for information on the horse of that name.

Salix alba
White Willow foliage; note white undersides of leaves
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malpighiales Family: Salicaceae Genus: Salix Species: S. alba
Binomial name
Salix alba L.

Salix alba (White Willow) is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.^[1][2] The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves.

It is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree growing up to 10–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and an irregular, often leaning crown. The bark is grey-brown, deeply fissured in older trees. The shoots in the typical species are grey-brown to green-brown. The leaves are paler than most other willows, due to a covering of very fine silky white hairs, particularly on the underside; they are 5–10 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide. The flowers are produced in catkins in early spring, and pollinated by insects. It is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate trees; the male catkins are 4–5 cm long, the female catkins 3–4 cm long at pollination, lengthening as the fruit matures. When mature in mid summer, the female catkins comprise numerous small (4 mm) capsules each containing numerous minute seeds embedded in white down which aids wind dispersal.^[1][2][3]

Contents 1 Ecology 2 Uses 2.1 Cultivars and hybrids 2.2 Medicinal uses 3 References 4 Photographs and illustration

Ecology

Tree, showing whitish foliage compared to surrounding trees

White Willows are fast-growing, but relatively short-lived, being susceptible to several diseases, including watermark disease caused by the bacterium Brenneria salicis (named because of the characteristic 'watermark' staining in the wood; syn. Erwinia salicis) and willow anthracnose, caused by the fungus Marssonina salicicola. These diseases can be a serious problem on trees grown for timber or ornament.

It readily forms natural hybrids with Crack Willow Salix fragilis, the hybrid being named Salix × rubens Schrank.^[1]

Uses

The wood is tough, strong, and light in weight, but has minimal resistance to decay. The stems (withies) from coppiced and pollarded plants are used for basket-making. Charcoal made from the wood was important for gunpowder manufacture. The bark was used in the past for tanning leather.^[1][2]

Cultivars and hybrids

A number of cultivars and hybrids have been selected for forestry and horticultural use:^[1][2]

• Salix alba 'Caerulea' (Cricket-bat Willow; syn. Salix alba var. caerulea (Sm.) Sm.; Salix caerulea Sm.) is grown as a specialist timber crop in Britain, mainly for the production of cricket bats, but also for other uses where a tough, lightweight wood that does not splinter easily, is required. It is distinguished mainly by its growth form, very fast growing with a single straight stem, and also by its slightly larger leaves (10–11 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide) with a more blue-green colour. Its origin is unknown; it may be a hybrid between White Willow and Crack Willow, but this is not confirmed.^[1]
• Salix alba 'Vitellina' (Golden Willow; syn. Salix alba var. vitellina (L.) Stokes) is a cultivar grown in gardens for its shoots, which are golden yellow for 1–2 years before turning brown. It is particularly decorative in winter; the best effect is achieved by coppicing it every 2–3 years to stimulate the production of longer young shoots with better colour. Other similar cultivars include 'Britzensis', 'Cardinal', and 'Chermesina', selected for even brighter orange-red shoots.
• Salix alba 'Sericea' (Silver Willow) is a cultivar where the white hairs on the leaves are particularly dense, giving it more strongly silvery-white foliage.

• The Weeping Willow (Salix × sepulcralis 'Chrysocoma', syn. Salix 'Tristis') is a hybrid between White Willow and Peking Willow Salix babylonica.

Medicinal uses

Salix alba tincture

Hippocrates wrote in the 5th century BC about a bitter powder extracted from willow bark that could ease aches and pains and reduce fevers.^{[citation needed]} This remedy is also mentioned in texts from ancient Egypt, Sumer, and Assyria.^{[citation needed]} The Reverend Edmund Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire England, noted in 1763 that willow bark was effective in reducing a fever.^[4] The bark is often macerated in ethanol to produce a tincture.

The active extract of the bark, called salicin, after the Latin name Salix, was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicylic acid, like aspirin, is a chemical derivative of salicin.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salix alba

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Meikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
3. ^ Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6
4. ^ Stone, E. (1763). An Account of the Success of the Bark of the Willow in the Cure of Agues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London 53.

Photographs and illustration

Willows

Tree in flower, early spring	Tree in summer	Salix alba 'Vitellina' in winter
Female catkins	Male catkins	Male catkins
Bark	Tree killed by watermark disease.	Weeping Willows are a hybrid between White Willow and Peking Willow
White Willow illustration

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