Home » » Natural Health » Willow, the Aspirin Tree

Willow, the Aspirin Tree

© Traute Klein, biogardener

Aspirin may be the best known pharmaceutical in the world, but its basic ingredient has been known in Europe and North America as a natural remedy for centuries. This articles deals with the history of salicylates and their effect on people, especially those who are allergic to them. A follow-up article will talk about their effect on plants and will give some ideas of how we can take advantage of them, even if we are allergic to them. Another related article is entitled "An Apple a Day or an Aspirin or a Niacin Pill." Both are linked below.

History of Salicylate

Aspirin may be the best-known pharmaceutical of modern times, but its effective ingredient is not new to herbalists. Natural salicylates have probably been used as painkillers since the Stone Age. They are one of the oldest remedies, occurring naturally in trees, shrubs, and fruit. Their pain-relieving properties were known on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. North American natives used them for headache, fever, and lumbago. Europeans made a tea from the bark of white willow to relieve pain. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, made a powder to treat pain, fever, and the pangs of childbirth.

Allergy Caution

Before I ever heard the word "allergy," I found out that I am allergic to Aspirin. The first Aspirin pill which I swallowed not only did nothing for my headache, it made me hyper. A second pill did not alleviate the pain either, but it got me to climb the walls, so to speak. No one had to tell me that I should forego the third one. When I enrolled in the high school woodworking courses at our local high school a few years ago, the first project involved the use of salix which is the Latin name for willow. The wood is soft and lends itself to being carved easily, but I was not prepared for its effect on my hands. At that time, I did not know that willow contains salicylates. Within a day of handling the wood, two of my fingertips were stripped of skin. Before the week was out, all of my fingers burned and bled. The problem persisted until several weeks after the completion of the project.

Sunscreens

A couple of years later, I participated in a pharmaceutical study on sunscreens. I considered the tests harmless, because I had been using sunscreens for years and had never had any problems with them. It seemed like an easy way to make a few dollars. No one informed me that the PABA of the original sunscreens had been replaced by salicylates. I had indicated on my application form that I am allergic to ASA, but no one paid any attention to it. As a matter of fact, I just recently found out that the staff administering tests has no knowledge of the ingredients of any of the products. So why do they bother asking us to list our allergies?

The copyright of the article Willow, the Aspirin Tree in Natural Health is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish Willow, the Aspirin Tree in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.