I was out and about the other day with some other crazy kids and we canoed out to an island on the columbia river. It was covered in willows (which we came there to harvest) and tons of beaver sign. I was thinking about how willow bark has asprin in it, and I wondered/joked with willem if beavers, who constantly consume willow, feel no pain? Do they ever get headaches?
Ooo I’m a junior member now…uh what was I saying…Oh yeah here is something we can all try: willow vinegar
“To make an herbal vinegar: Fill a jar with coarsley chopped fresh plant material and then with room temperature pasteurized apple cider vinegar. (Raw vinegar spoils too quickly.) Cover with a plastic lid or put several layers of plastic bag between the vinegar and metal lids. Label. Keep at room temperature for six weeks.”
“The botanical name of willow is Salix. The active ingredient is salicyn. Willow bark or buds soaked in apple cider vinegar (acetic acid) for six weeks, form acetasalicylic acid; that’s aspirin.”
“Make willow vinegar from spring-harvested willow. Try a teaspoonful against headaches, sore muscles, or joint pain. Like aspirin, willow bark can be hard on the stomach.”
These instructions are from ABC of Heralism a Correspondence Course with Susun Weed. I’ll be interested to see if this works for people. Haven’t tried it yet myself, but so many herbal treatments have failed me that I’m always skeptical.
My girlfreind had a major cavity that was aching in her mouth, she refuses to take pain killers so I gave her some of the dried willow bark I keep around but never use. She chewed on it and after a few minutes the toothache was all gone (or numbed atleast). So it seems to work pretty well.
Miles, that works well for me all the time. my parents have a willow in the yard, and I haven’t bought or taken aspirin in years.
Do you eat the dried bark or make a tea? I’ll have to try it. Hopefully if I make the vinegar it works better than aspirin–I never take aspirin because it doesn’t work well enough for the things I need it for.
chew the bark, or make a tea. I mix mine with reishi www.reishi.com , fresh peppermint, strawberry and rasberry leaves from the yard.
I chew and swallow the juices of willow’s cambium layer when I have any minor to medium bodily pains from headaches to pains from leg cuts to joint pains. I just remove about three hand long pieces, then put one in my pocket for later, one in my mouth, and one stays put in my hand to replace the one in my mouth about 10 to 15 minutes later. I feel the effects working probably about 8 minutes after chewing and swallowing the juices. I prefer poplar species the most for pain relieving, especially balsam poplar or black cottonwood.
From the Peterson Field Guide: Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs: "The bark and leaves contain salicin, a naturally occurring salicylate, which modifies into salicylic acid in the body. Chemically related to aspirin, with similar properties. Salicylate content of willow bark varies widely, depending on the species and time of year. Tannins contribute to astringency…â€Â
I believe they do, for one because of a personal experience I had with one once. About two months ago I watched one rest on a log floating on a pond about 20 feet away from me. I saw it scratch the back of its neck with its hind leg. I think it tried to scratch away at something that was causing it pain. Around the same spot I found a full baby beaver skeleton…see following pics of them(baby skull and adult scratchen):
