The Magical Bark: The Top Benefits of Willow Bark

There are a lot of benefits to willow bark. Check out this guide to learn what they are.

Doctors say an aspirin a day keeps heart attacks and strokes at bay. But is aspirin the best way to stay healthy as you age? For many people, aspirin isn’t the right choice.

The aspirin you know and use actually finds its roots in a natural ingredient: willow bark. Like aspirin, willow bark comes with many health benefits from pain relief to fever reduction.

What can willow bark do for your body? Keep reading to learn more about this fantastic supplement.

What is Willow Bark? Nature’s Aspirin

Willow bark is what it sounds like: the bark of a willow tree – the Salix species, to be exact.

Herbalists have long used willow bark to treat pain and fever. It works because your body metabolizes the salicin compound found naturally in the bark and creates salicylic acid. The salicin is what makes willow bark a natural form of aspirin. There’s even evidence of the Greeks chewing on the bark to get rid of pain.

In the 1800s, chemists harnessed what was already known as an effective pain reliever and created a synthetic version: acetylsalicylic acid. You might recognize it from the aspirin bottle sitting in your bathroom cabinet.

Today, aspirin dominates the market, but you can still buy willow bark. It comes as a dietary supplement, tea, ointment, or extract.

Top 6 Health Benefits of Willow Bark

People use willow bark for all kinds of reasons. If you struggle with one of these health issues, willow bark could replace your daily aspirin and provide real relief.

1. Treats Headaches

Willow bark contains a chemical called salicin, which helps reduce the tension that causes pain that mimics a headache.

Salicin is similar to acetylsalicylic acid, which is an active ingredient in aspirin.

Taking willow bark means you might wait longer for the pain relief. However, once the effects kick in, they tend to last longer than an aspirin tablet.

2. Relieves Fever

According to European health organizations and regulators, willow bark can also be used to break a fever.

In fact, fever relief is one of its best-known and most successful uses.

It’s essential not to use willow bark as a fever reliever among children. The danger of Reye’s syndrome, which causes swelling in the brain and liver. The disease isn’t unique to willow bark; children can also develop Reye’s syndrome from aspirin.

3. Handles Arthritis and Osteoarthritis Pain

Much of the pain associated with arthritis and osteoarthritis comes from the swelling around your joints. Dealing with the inflammation, then, is the first point of call in joint pain treatment.

When your body converts the salicin to salicylic acid, it uses the salicylic acid to inhibit the enzyme cyclooxygenase. It’s the same enzyme your over-the-counter pain relievers attack. The result is a reduction in arthritic inflammation and, thus, in pain.

The bark goes further than temporary pain relief. A study in the Journal of Rheumatology suggested that it not only suppresses pain, but it can slow the progression of the disease. In the study, people who took willow bark experienced a 14 percent pain reduction compared to those on a placebo.

4. Soothes Lower Back Pain

The same properties that make willow bark suitable for treating arthritic joints also ease muscle aches, including low back pain. Willow bark is a natural anti-inflammatory, and there’s evidence for its benefits for people with low back pain.

Among 200 people with low back pain, patients who take willow bark enjoyed significantly less pain. Those who received a double dose (240 mg vs. 120 mg of salicin) saw even better results.

5. Reduces the Likelihood of Heart Attack and Stroke

You already know that a low-dose of aspirin keeps your blood moving and thus reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. The claim is backed up by groups like the American Heart Association.

The same benefits proposed by aspirin also come with willow bark, including in its extract form. The salicylates lower the risk of internal clotting, which staves off heart attack and stroke.

6. Eases Menstrual Cramps

The cramps 84 percent of women experience during their menstrual cycle aren’t a unique form of punishment: they have a distinct physiological source.

The prostaglandins that cause inflammation and plague those with lower back pain and arthritis actually cause the contractions in your uterus.

Taking willow bark during PMS can ease cramps, but you should be careful to avoid it during your period. Remember that the salicylates also found in the herb prevent blood clotting, which can cause much heavier bleeding.

Doctors say you’re better off sticking to painkillers during menstruation itself to avoid adverse effects.

Be Aware of the Side Effects of Salicin (Willow Bark)

Just as aspirin and other NSAIDs come with side effects, so too does willow bark.

Willow bark can even leave you with some of the same side effects as aspirin when you overuse it. Nausea, stomach upset, dizziness, vomiting, ulcers, and gastrointestinal bleeding can occur when your body has too much.

Additionally, keep in mind that if you are allergic to aspirin, then you are also likely to be allergic to willow bark. In rare cases, you may experience anaphylaxis. As a result, willow bark is not a safe alternative for aspirin allergies.

Finally, talk to your doctor before starting willow bark. Because it slows blood clotting, you shouldn’t take it with any other anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs. Your doctor can tell you about other possible interactions.

Is a Willow Bark Supplement Right for You?

Willow bark offers a natural alternative to aspirin and provides real health benefits to people who deal with chronic inflammation diseases like osteoarthritis. If your doctor recommended daily aspirin therapy, then willow bark may be a healthy alternative.

Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a willow bark supplement, particularly if you are already on blood thinners or if you have an aspirin allergy.

Do you love the idea of a following a natural path to health? Click here to shop our complete range of supplements.