White willow bark

Salix alba

Herbs & Roots. Western & European.

Also called Willow bark, Common willow, Silver willow

Spanish: Sauce blanco

Bleeding risk; not for children

The bark of a willow tree, which contains salicin, the compound that aspirin was based on.

Did you know? Ancient Greek doctors, including Hippocrates, wrote about willow bark for pain and fever more than 2,000 years ago.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Pain & headaches. One well-designed trial of nearly 200 people with low back pain found more relief than placebo. Results for arthritis are mixed.
Early proof
Fever. Traditional fever remedy. Little modern human research exists for this use.
Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Nerves & pain, Immune system

Traditional use

Europeans used willow bark tea for fever, headache, and aches for centuries. Its main compound was the starting point for the aspirin family of drugs.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Astringent. Energy: cooling.

How people take it

Studies used salicin doses of about 120 to 240 mg a day, with the higher dose giving more relief in one trial. Standardized extracts list salicin on the label.

Decoction, tea and capsule.

Where to get it

Grows along rivers and wet ground across Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and is widely planted. Sold as dried bark, tea, tinctures, and capsules.

Be careful

Can cause upset stomach and stomach bleeding, especially with alcohol or other pain relievers. It acts like aspirin, so people with aspirin allergy should avoid it. Children and teens with flu or chickenpox should not use it, because of the rare but serious risk of Reye syndrome.

Avoid if: children under 16; aspirin allergy; bleeding disorders; stomach ulcers; pregnancy.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Both are used for joint and back pain in European and African folk practice.
Works well together
Both contain salicylates and are used for aches and fever.
Don't mix
Blood thinners (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix, daily aspirin)
Acts like aspirin, so it can add to bleeding with warfarin and similar drugs.
Use caution
Alcohol (beer, wine, spirits)
Alcohol plus salicylates can irritate the stomach and raise bleeding risk.

Adds up with others that may slow blood clotting: , , , , , , , , , , , , , and 40 more.

The honest take

The best trial suggests real relief for low back pain, but the signal is modest and other trials are weaker. Results for arthritis are mixed. Because it works like aspirin, it carries real bleeding and stomach risks, so it is not a harmless bark tea.