It is thought to be responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb. The bark of white willow contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions such as bursitis and tendinitis. The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. Willows are an incredibly useful tree, they have many useful functions: 1.
It is fast growing, and adaptable to almost any soil conditions. Its leaves are thin and narrow, sometimes with whitened or silky undersides. When mature it exhibits graceful, wide-spreading, pendulous weeping branches, with a short trunk, and a broad rounded crown. One of the most popular and familiar willows is the Weeping willow ( Salix babylonica), it has exceptional form and beauty. The Weeping Willow appears to be a native of extra-tropical Asia, from Japan and China to Armenia and the banks of the Euphrates, and of Egypt and North Africa. Willows are fast growing, deciduous trees that are mainly found found in the the Northern Hemisphere, in cold arctic and north temperate zones, in regions with moist soils.
Surely, there is something ‘magical’ about these trees, for them to capture our attention so strongly.They have some interesting and unique properties, as we’ll explore in this article! Willows – A Brief Introduction
Some folklore associated with willows is fascinating – my two favourites are are that it is bad luck to tell a secret while standing under a willow, as the wind that blows through the leaves will reveal the secret to everyone, and that striking an animal or a child with a willow twig will stunt their growth! They did have some strange ideas way back in Medieval Europe! They even feature in three of William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet, Othello and Twelfth Night. They appear in the ancient legends, tales, folklore and customs of the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Brits, Celts and American Indians.
Willows are an amazing tree that have captivated humanity since time immemorial.
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