Herbal Pain Relief

The white willow tree (Salix alba), which grows in Europe, North America, northern Asia, and parts of Africa, holds the key to one of nature's most potent painkillers. The bark of the tree is rich in a compound called salicin - extracts of which have been used for centuries in China and India and by Native Americans to help alleviate pain.

Such is its effectiveness in this area that the active ingredient in the popular over-the-counter drug aspirin was in fact originally modelled on salicin. It was in 1827 that Leroux, a French chemist, extracted a substance he called salicin from the bark of the white willow. Later, in Germany in 1899, the well-known pharmaceutical company, Bayer, developed a synthetic version of the compound, which led to the commercial marketing of the product aspirin.

Although aspirin is chemically synthesised, in herbal medicine white willow bark continues to be used as a natural remedy for pain and inflammation and is often referred to as 'herbal aspirin'. However, the herb differs from the drug in that it does not cause harmful side effects like gastric/intestinal bleeding or upsets like aspirin can. In addition, it does not have an effect on blood platelets like aspirin, meaning that it won't thin your blood or increase your risk of bleeding, which can occur in the brain.

Eases pain regardless of whether it's caused by arthritis or a bad back Salicin, the active compound in white willow bark, is converted into salicylic acid in the body. Salicylic acid lowers the body's levels of inflammatory prostaglandins - hormone-like substances that promote pain and inflammation.

White willow bark can be used to relieve both chronic and acute pain and is therefore helpful in easing conditions from lower back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and neuralgia to headaches, toothache and menstrual pain. It is also effective in reducing fever, related to colds and influenza.

In a study conducted at the Centre for Complementary Health Studies at the University of Exeter, 82 osteoarthritis patients were given either white willow or a placebo. After two months, white willow bark was found to be far more effective at reducing pain than the placebo treatment.1

Another trial involving osteoarthritis patients found that 100mg of white willow bark used over a two-month period helped to considerably ease pain and improve joint function.2

In addition, results from a study with people suffering from lower back pain showed that white willow bark was an effective painkiller. The trial lasted for four weeks and was based on 240mg of white willow bark taken daily.3

'...each time I have felt a twinge in my back I have reached for white willow with terrific results'

One person to benefit from supplementing with white willow bark is Denise Maidment, a 46-year old general manager from South Africa, who had been plagued with back pain on and off for years.

She says, 'My problem with pain started in my late teens when I displaced two discs in my lower back. After several physiotherapy appointments for traction and massage I was back to normal - or so I thought. Over the years I have had frequent bouts of immobility and pain, all of which required manipulation and copious amounts of painkillers. For those who have never suffered from a 'slipped disc' I can only describe it as 'toothache in your legs', which seems to get worse as you get older'.

A few months ago, Denise realised she had been overdoing things a bit when she woke up one morning suffering from an unbearable pain in her back and hips. This prompted her to see a chiropractor who suggested she take white willow for a while. Desperate for anything that might offer her a respite from the persistent pain, she decided to give it a try.

'I took two capsules and after about an hour the pain started to subside. I took another two capsules four hours later, which relieved the pain almost immediately, and another dose before I went to bed allowed me to sleep through the night. I continued on one capsule three times a day for the next few days until the pain had eased completely', she says.

Denise explains that: 'Since then, each time I have felt a twinge in my back I have reached for white willow with terrific results. An added benefit while taking the herb was that I noticed the twinges I had been getting in some of my joints also subsided'.

What to take for best results
The recommended dosage for white willow bark is one 400mg capsule taken one to three times a day.

WARNING: White willow bark should not be taken with aspirin or by those who are sensitive to salicylates such as aspirin and salicylate-rich foods such as berries, currants, prunes and raisins. In addition, it should be avoided by people with stomach ulcers or gastritis. It should not be used by children under 16 years of age due to the risk of them developing Reye's syndrome (drowsiness, confusion, delirium, convulsions or loss of consciousness - often associated with children who are given aspirin-containing drugs during viral infections). It is also contraindicated during pregnancy.

1. Phyllis A Balch, Prescription for Herbal Healing, Avery, 2002, p. 142.
2. Mills SY, Jacoby RK, Chacksfield M, Willoughby M. Effect of a proprietary herbal medicine on the relief of chronic arthritic pain: a double-blind study. BR J Rheum 1996;35:874-8.
3. Chrubasik S, Eisenberg E, Balan E, et al. Treatment of low back pain exacerbations with willow bark extract: a randomised double-blind study. Am J Med 2000;109:9-14.