WILLOW BARK

PRODUCT INFORMATION 

Health Benefits

Willow bark's analgesic (pain-relieving) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) properties have been touted since as far back as 4th-century Greece when users would chew on the bark for rapid pain relief.

Alternative practitioners contend that willow bark can safely treat a host of pain disorders as below;

Arthritis

Studies investigating the effects of willow bark in people with osteoarthritis ("wear-and-tear arthritis") has yielded mixed results.

In a clinical trial published in Phytotherapy Research, a willow bark extract containing 240 milligrams (mg) of salicin daily was compared to a placebo in 78 people with osteoarthritis. After two weeks of treatment, pain scores (using the WOMAC osteoarthritis index) were reduced by 14 percent in the willow bark group compared to 2 percent in the placebo group.

Low Back Pain

The current body of evidence suggests that willow bark may be most effective in treating acute low back pain.

In a 2016 analysis published in the journal Spine, researchers evaluated 14 previously published studies on herbal treatments for low back pain. Among their findings, the researchers reported that the bark of the white willow tree (Salix alba) consistently provided greater pain relief than a placebo.

Weight Loss

Willow bark has been aggressively marketed in recent years as a weight loss supplement. The health claims were fueled by early research in which the combined use of willow bark and ephedra proved effective in enhancing athletic performance and burning fat.