Salix alba (White Willow)

Question 1

How do you recognise White Willow?

Answer 1

• A dioecious deciduous tree of up to 30m, with lanceolate (pointy) leaves which are white underneath. This can make them loook paler than other willows at a distance.
• Willows hybridise easily & other species such as S. x fragilis (crack willow) also used. Hard to tell them apart.
• Grows in damp or waterlogged ground.
• Native to Europe & Western Asia.
• The bark has been used for tanning leather, the young shoots, known as withies, used for basket making. Willow also sprouts again quite easily if you knock them into the ground.
• Most weeping willows are NOT white willows

Question 2

What are White Willow ‘s main constituents?

Answer 2

Constituents:
* Phenolic acids – mainly salicylates including salicin, populin, salidroside – analgesic & anti-inflammatory. These protect the plant from attack.
* Flavonoids including isoquercitin & naringenin.
* Condensed tannins in the bark.

Question 3

What family is White Willow?

Answer 3

A member of the Salicaceae

Question 4

What is White Willow good for?

Answer 4

Summary: Mainly used as a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory these days; things like arthritis, lower back pain. Also good for headaches and pain when someone has an infectious illness like the flu.

Actions:
* Anti-inflammatory. Differences of opinion about how it works, so uncertainty.
* Analgesic.
* Anti-rheumatic.
* Anti-pyretic.
* Antimicrobial.
* Astringent.
* Bitter.
* Traditionally viewed as an anaphrodisiac.

Applications:
* Connective tissue disorders.
* Rheumatoid & Osteoarthritis.
* Lower back pain.
* Headache and pain in infectious illness

Question 5

What is White Willow ‘s Latin name?

Answer 5

Salix alba

Question 6

What parts of White Willow do you use?

Answer 6

Parts used: Bark & (less frequently) leaves. Generally use the bark of smaller twigs not the main trunk.

Question 7

What safety issues might White Willow have?

Answer 7

• Generally seen as being safe except for those with a sensitivity to salicylates.
• High doses can cause stomach upset, dizziness and temporary deafness.

Question 8

What useful research does White Willow have?

Answer 8

External Links:
* United States Pharmacopeia Safety Review of Willow Bark – (2019) attributed authors include herbalist Tieraona Low Dog.
* Efficacy and Safety of White Willow Bark (Salix alba) Extracts – abstract only (2015). The summary of the complete paper states: “Although willow bark preparations have been used for many years for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, relatively few published studies exist verifying anecdotal observations. A total of five human clinical studies and several animal
studies have been conducted. In general, the results of these studies support the use
of willow bark extracts for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity.”

Question 9

What remedies might you use White Willow in?

Answer 9

• Dosage - empty!!
• Some herbalists use Feverfew and White Willow for migraine. Sometimes used to get rid of warts.
• Bendle does not use it that much but thinks perhaps he should as its a common UK tree.