White willow bark, or what is this natural aspirin and what is it used for

The main active ingredient of willow bark is salicylic acid and salicin. Once converted in the liver, they have the same effect as acetylsalicylic acid and are also known as the main active ingredients of aspirin®. Salicylic acid has well-known soothing and antipyretic properties, and also prevents the formation of blood clots. The correct use of white willow bark can eliminate the negative effects of some products containing salicylic acid on the digestive system.

Needless to say, many people (certainly initially out of curiosity) have tasted willow leaves and young shoots. The tender, fresh shoots are sweet, but the thicker and older leaves are bitter and not very tasty. The older generation liked to use white willow leaf tea, which helps in various painful conditions, sometimes associated with fever, e.g. rheumatic ailments, urinary tract infections, inflammation of the digestive tract, kidney or respiratory diseases.

Quite a few women with painful periods have also discovered this herb. They praise that it not only helps to relieve severe and unpleasant pains, but also reliably relieves their discomfort, which is often unbearable and unpleasant, and as a result adversely affects the quality of partner relationships and family atmosphere.

In 1897, the young German scientist Felix Hoffmann successfully synthesized acetylsalicylic acid. It turned out to be a sufficiently stable compound that it could become a suitable raw material for the production of a drug called aspirin, which was developed by Bayer, for which Hoffmann worked. This is how the first painkiller was born and his incredibly dizzying world career began. Who doesn't know these pills? You can buy them at Indian markets on the edge of South American forests or at the famous floating markets in Thailand. The Apollo 11 crew had them with them on the moon.

Let's see how it looks on the example of White Willow Calivita? The active ingredient in this supplement is powdered white willow bark, which contains salicin. Salicin is of course chemically related to acetylsalicylic acid. However, the effect of aspirin is stronger than that of white willow. This is what a patient with unpleasant pains expects, but excessive speed and strong action can sometimes hurt.

Every doctor at one time or another has encountered a patient who is prone to drug abuse. This is a common, almost everyday problem in academic medicine. The patient is prescribed 1 tablet, but he is impatient, takes 3 at a time and does not even think that it can harm him.

In the instructions for use of aspirin, the first thing is a warning that excessive consumption can cause bleeding, mainly from the gastrointestinal tract, but rare organ failure is also described. The same is true for other drugs with the same mechanism of action, i.e. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Salicin from white willow bark and leaves has a slower onset of action, but works reliably and these unpleasant, undesirable effects are not described for it. Therefore, even academic medicine is beginning to see that with the correct use of white willow bark, the unpleasant negative effect of NSAIDs and drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid on the organs of the digestive system can be eliminated. To sum up, white willow bark is a natural rich source of salicylic glycosides, which are converted into salicylic acid in the human body without negative effects on the digestive system. White willow bark has a beneficial effect on mental and physical health, hormonal balance, joint health, strengthening the body and its self-regeneration. Natural aspirin, i.e. capsules with white willow bark, are recommended mainly as a supplement in the treatment of inflammation of the musculoskeletal system and in the prevention of thrombosis.