Willow bark has properties that are similar to aspirin, which is in an herbal form, which means it can be used in pain relief of headaches, joint pain and other types of pain. The use of this herbal can be done in a type of long term treatment in most cases that are safe to use for pain relief.
White willow bark comes from the tree botanically known as Hyssopus officinalis, which is native in parts of Europe and western Asia. This natural type of aspirin has been used for centuries and there is proof of it being used in ancient Egypt, China as early as 500 B.C. and there is proof the Native Americans used the bark of this tree for pain relief.
The American Indians were known to use this bark for treatment of conditions like sore muscles, headaches, fever and arthritis. Beginning in 1828 there was testing done to isolate the active properties in the willow bark and what was found in this herbal is salicin, which can be purified into salicylic acid. This property that is known as salicin is what was used in early aspirin manufacturing and this is what provides the pain relief. |