White Willow
Salix alba
1:7 Ethanol/Distilled H20 Tincture of dried organic White Willow bark, with purified salt principle added.
Planetary ruler: Moon
Recommended Dosage: 5-10 drops, 1-4 times per day.

Physical Properties*:
Indeed, tis the source of the painkiller molecule known as ‘aspirin’, White Willow has been used for thousands of years as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anodyne (painkiller), diuretic, tonic, anti-septic, astringent (for staunching wounds and excessive blood flow), hypnotic, and sedative. It is particularly indicated for lowering fevers, joint pain and rheumatism, and it is also good for indigestion, inflammatory stages of auto-immune diseases, and gout. Bitter flavonoids and phenolic acids make white willow a dependable digestive tonic, and it has also been used as a gentle immune tonic, particularly in periods of convalescence after an illness. For some White Willow can be a potent remedy for chronic lower back pain and help reintroduce flexibility where there is much stiffness. The salicin and salicylate- related compounds play a strong role in modulating inflammation responses within the body, those compounds in combination with polyphenols and flavonoids scavenge free radicals with high anti-oxidant capacity, causing a cumulative effect of essentially stopping ‘pain’ before it enters the bloodstream. As such, white willow can be particularly effective medicine for athletes or those doing intense physical labour that generate inflammatory pain responses in the body.

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Emotional/Spiritual Properties*:
White willow…there is a noble and regal feel to this medicine… whilst it can create softness, flexibility and suppleness where there is too much rigidity, it also enables one to sit up straight, standing with dignity and good posture. The white willow helps sweep from us the ideas or emotions we are holding on to that may be dragging us down. Unbinding our minds from worries, churning angers, grudges and more, enabling us to hold our issues at arm’s length and approach them as they truly need… or it may simply help us to let it all go, maybe forever, or maybe for a moments necessary respite amongst the cool, softly swaying branches of the willow. White willow is a good ally for those who may take far too much on, who are constantly thinking over how they’re going to solve everyone else’s problems and their own. It can show us how that constant whirring of thought and emotion has caused us fatigue and pain, then it welcomes us into an embrace that helps to calm, sooth and replenish those worn-out parts of ourselves. This plant is also apt for dream work, offering protection and stability amongst ones astral travels.

Cautions/Contraindications:
- Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet (‘blood-thinner’) drugs: Whilst White Willow does have a historical use of wound healing and blood stanching, it is often strongly recommended that one does not combine White Willow with medications that slow blood clotting, such as: aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
-Aspirin and Salsalate (Disalcid): Taking White Willow along with these medications may increase their effects and side-effects.
- Choline magnesium trisalicylate (Trilisate) contains chemicals that are similar to those found in white willow. Taking the two together may increase the effects and side effects of choline magnesium trisalicylate (Trilisate).