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Willow Bark

2/2/02 Willow Bark - Healthwell Notes Historical or traditional use (may or may not be supported by scientific studies): White willow's Latin name is the source of the name for acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), as well as the parent compound from which aspirin was eventually created. Willow bark was used traditionally for fever, headache, pain, and rheumatic complaints.1 Active constituents: The glycoside salicin, from which the body can split off salicylic acid, is a source of the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving actions of willow.2 Other constituents may be just as important, however, and definitive proof of the importance of salicin is lacking. The analgesic actions of willow are typically slow-acting but last longer than standard aspirin products. One study has found that a combination herbal product including 100 mg white willow bark improved functioning via pain relief in people with osteoarthritis.3
2/2/02 Willow Bark Cheap Alternative To Pain Killers For Low Back Pain January 31, 2002 Integrative Medicine) - People who suffer from low back pain may now have an herbal alternative to expensive pain-killing medications, according to a new study in the journal Rheumatology. A group of European researchers randomly assigned 228 men and women with low back pain to receive willow bark extract or rofecoxib (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID) for 4 weeks. All participants were allowed to continue taking medications or other conventional treatments throughout the study. One-hundred eighty-three patients completed the study. Participants in both groups reported a significant reduction in back pain by the end of the study. After 4 weeks of treatment, 22 people in the willow bark group and 20 people in the NSAID group were completely pain-free. Few participants in either group took additional conventional medications throughout the study to ease their pain. Both groups also reported a similar number of adverse events, with stomach upset being the most commonly reported side effect. Noting that willow bark is roughly 40% less expensive than rofecoxib, the researchers conclude that willow bark and rofecoxib are equally safe and effective in the treatment of low back pain, but that willow bark extract "has the current advantage of being cheaper than rofecoxib."

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