Want to learn how to make willow bark tea and how to use this natural medicine at home? Continue reading and find out.
Willow bark is a rich source of salicin, a glycoside of salicylic alcohol that was identified and extracted in 1827 by the French pharmacist H. Leroux. From salicin, aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) was later developed, hence willow bark is the precursor of aspirin. Volumes could be written about the medicinal uses of willow bark, especially in spring.
In Romanian folk medicine, willow bark teas were used for wheezing (asthma) and chills (malaria). In Banat and the Năsăud regions particularly, it was used to treat spleen inflammation, while in northern Moldova, monks used young willow branches tea to soothe tuberculosis or pneumonia. Before we show you how to make willow bark tea and use it at home, here is how to harvest willow bark.
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How to Harvest Willow Bark
When the sap begins to circulate through the tree in April, it’s the perfect time to harvest willow bark. Harvest only the bark from the young branches, as they regenerate remarkably fast, and this does not harm the willow tree. Cut off the young 1-2-year-old shoots and peel off their bark using a small knife. Then lay the pieces of willow bark out to dry in a layer 3-4 centimeters thick. Once the willow bark loses its elasticity and becomes brittle, the drying process is complete and can be stored in linen bags.
The most commonly used willow for therapeutic purposes is white willow (Salix alba), but in mountainous areas its wilder relative, goat willow (Salix caprea), is used. In urban areas, the weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is also commonly used.
How to Make Willow Bark Tea
Put 2 teaspoons of willow bark powder in a cup of water at room temperature and let it sit for 6-8 hours or overnight. Strain, and leave the cold maceration aside. Simmer the plant material left after straining for five minutes in another cup of water, then allow it to cool. Finally, combine the two extracts and drink the resulting willow bark tea throughout the day.
How to Use Willow Bark Tea as Medicine
1. Headaches
The salicylates in willow bark are a more effective pain reliever than synthetic aspirin. To alleviate headaches caused by cold drafts, viral infections, fatigue, etc., one can drink 500 ml (2 cups) of willow bark tea daily. For faster relief, you can take willow bark extract instead, but no more than 1800 mg per day.
2. Menstrual Cramps
Taken internally, willow can help alleviate menstrual cramps and lower back pain, reduce irritability, and relieve menstrual headaches. For this, 600-800 mg of willow bark extract can taken daily. Additionally, warm compresses with willow bark infusion can be applied to the lower abdomen as warm compresses. These compresses can help relieve menstrual cramps and promote the cessation of bleeding due to the willow’s high tannin content.
3. Gout & High Uric Acid
Willow bark has a strong detoxifying effect, helping to mobilize excess urea and other substances from tissues and promoting their elimination through urine and sweat. For this, you can drink 2-3 cups of willow bark tea daily, between meals, for three weeks.
4. Cardiovascular Conditions
Willow bark helps thin the blood and is one of the most powerful anti-blood clotting agents, it also reduces moderate fever in viral illnesses and relieves pain due to its analgesic effect. In this sense, you can drink a cup of willow bark tea twice a day.
5. ENT Conditions
Gargle with unsweetened willow bark tea a few times a day until your situation improves. This remedy is very effective for laryngitis, glossitis, pharyngitis, and tonsilitis.
6. Cold, Flu, Chills, and Rheumatic Pain
General baths with willow bark are effective for flu, colds, chills, frostbite, and acute rheumatic flare-ups. To prepare this bathwater, boil 100 grams of willow bark in 2 liters of water for 15 minutes, and add this decoction to your warm bathwater. Bathe for 15 minutes, then take on a cotton robe and go directly to bed. Or, you can make warm foot baths the same way, but add a handful of coarse sea salt to the decoction, pour it in a basin, and take warm foot baths. Repeat until the symptoms subside.
Read Also: How to Make Willow Bark Powder & Use at Home
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