White willow bark is the "mother" of aspirin

Before the invention of pharmaceutical drugs, plants were medicine. Of course, man cannot leave good enough alone - he has to improve on nature. That's where the drug companies come in. They take natural medicinal substances and turn them into powerful drugs that deliver lots of side effects that are not found in the original plant. Aspirin was derived from white willow bark and is a prime example of man's "improvement" on Mother Nature.

2,500 years of use can't be wrong
According to the Department of History at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, man first extracted white willow bark's medicinal properties about 2,500 years ago. Its use may actually go back much further, as we don't know when it was first used by cultures that had no written language.

Even with the widespread availability of aspirin, white willow bark is still being used today. Because aspirin is a highly concentrated extract, it delivers a huge wallop to your stomach. White willow bark may upset your stomach, but it's less likely to do so. That doesn't mean white willow bark is less effective than aspirin.

I've taken white willow bark for headaches and other pains and have never been disappointed in the speed and delivery of the pain-relieving constituents. Aspirin delivers pain relief just as fast, but at what cost?

Even low-dose aspirin causes ulcers
Do you take aspirin every day for back pain, arthritis or for vascular problems? If so, you may have ulcers. According to a research study conducted by the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne in Australia, about one in ten patients on low-dose aspirin (75mg-325mg daily) has aspirin-induced ulcers - without realizing it!

If you've been taking aspirin for years or even just for months, you may have already created an ulcer. If you continue to take aspirin, your ulcer may start bleeding. You will open yourself up to infection and possibly compromise your health.

You may be able to skip the ulcer
White willow bark is tolerated much better than aspirin, and you may reduce your risk of getting an ulcer.

If you already have an ulcer from aspirin, check with your healthcare professional to see if you can switch to white willow bark. Depending on the severity of your ulcer, even white willow bark may be too harsh for you.

You don't have to take white willow bark as a tablet or capsule. You can drink it as a tea. In fact, this is how it was administered for thousands of years. White willow bark tea is quickly absorbed and delivers pain relief in short order. This may be a more stomach-friendly way to take your medicine - slowly and over time.

My capsules are 400mg each, but I've seen much higher dosages online. If you decide to try this supplement, I suggest that you start with a lower dose. If you find you need a higher dose, you can always take a second pill. NOW brand of white willow bark is available through Amazon (click on the link below).



Additional sources:
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2002;505:89-94
Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2005 Nov 1;22(9):795-801

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