Willow bark is an ancient remedy for fever, pain, and inflammation.
Salicin, a naturally occurring chemical in the bark of willow trees, works similarly to the acetylsalicylic acid in aspirin.
The best part?
You can easily learn how to make willow bark ‘aspirin’ at home, without any special equipment or prior experience in herbal medicine.
Follow these seven steps to produce this all-natural pain reliever and fever reducer.
How To Make Homemade ‘Aspirin’ From Willow Bark
So how do you convert humble-looking bark into a potent home remedy?
There are two popular methods of using willow bark: teas and tinctures. We’ll cover both options in a bit.
1. Find a Willow Tree
First, you need to locate the right tree.
The genus Salix includes about 300 tree, shrub, and dwarf willows.
White willow (Salix alba) and black willow (Salix nigra) are two common species used in herbal medicine, but you may also use bark from other willow species, like purple or bay willow.
Willows typically have long, slender leaves and fluffy catkins. You’ll often find them growing in moist soil next to ponds or streams. The black willow is native to much of North America.
You can use wild-growing willows for preparing willow bark aspirin, or plant a few willows on your property. Willows can improve poorly draining land with large amounts of standing water.
2. Harvest Willow Bark
The best season to collect willow bark is early spring, when the catkins just begin to emerge. That’s when the bark is pliable and separates easily from the wood.
Choose small branches (about as thick as your thumb) for harvesting bark. Never harvest directly from the trunk, since this could damage the tree.
Strip the bark using a sharp pocket knife or a potato peeler. If the bark is moist enough, you may even be able to peel it off with your fingers.
If you don’t have access to willow trees, you can buy dried willow bark from herbalists or order it on Amazon.
3. Dry the Willow Bark
You can make willow bark tea from fresh bark, but typically, you’ll want to dry the bark for year-round supply.
Spread the strips of willow bark over a baking sheet and let them sit for a couple of days, or use a dehydrator to speed up the process.
The bark is ready for storage when it’s completely dry and brittle. Store in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
4. Brew Willow Bark Tea
Willow bark tea is a quick homemade pain and inflammation reliever. It can help with minor headaches, sore muscles, or stiff joints.
To make this simple medicinal tea, boil willow bark in water. You’ll need about a tablespoon of bark chips per cup of water.
Boil for ten minutes, remove from the heat source, and let it sit for about half an hour.
It’s considered safe to drink one to three cups of willow bark tea per day. Start with one cup and increase the dosage as needed.
5. Make Willow Bark Tincture
Another way to use willow bark is to make a tincture.
The main advantage of tinctures is that they’re readily available for use whenever you need them. An alcohol-based willow bark tincture can keep for years when stored properly.
Take a Mason jar (if you’re new to tinctures, you might want to start small, say, with a pint jar) or another airtight glass container.
Fill the jar about halfway with bark chips. Then pour 80-proof vodka or higher-proof alcohol up to about an inch from the jar’s top.
Make sure to label your tincture clearly. Shake the jar well and let it sit for at least four weeks. The ready tincture should be dark brown.
You’ll need to strain your willow bark tincture before using it. Place a strainer over a wide glass bowl or pitcher.
Pour the jar’s contents into the strainer, and then transfer the ready tincture into a clean, dry jar or bottle.
6. Bottle Your Tincture for Storage
Choose a cool, dry, dark place to store your tincture. Light and heat can destroy the active compounds in plants.
Always make sure any equipment you use for making or storing tinctures is clean and sanitary.
If you’re making a large amount of tincture, you’ll probably want to separate it into smaller bottles. 2 oz dark amber dropper bottles are typically the most convenient for this purpose.
Use a small funnel to pour your tincture into the bottles.
7. Use Your Tincture
Unlike conventional medicines, homemade tinctures don’t come with precise dosages.
The correct dose may depend on your weight and metabolism, and on the strength of your tincture.
If you’re an average-sized person, you’ll probably need about three droppers. According to Medscape, the recommended dosage for alcohol-based willow bark tincture is 1 to 3 ml per day.
An average dropper contains about 1 ml, but many people will draw about half a dropper, depending on the squeezing technique.
Three half-droppers would therefore give you about 1.5 ml.
It’s safer to start with a lower dose and increase as needed. If in doubt, I recommend consulting an experienced herbalist.
Squeeze the dropper to release the tincture under your tongue and let it sit there for a few seconds before you swallow it.
Some of the willow bark extract will quickly enter your bloodstream through the membranes of your mouth, while the rest will pass through your digestive system.
Additional Information
A word of caution: if you know you’re sensitive to aspirin or use blood thinners, you shouldn’t use willow bark. Willow bark may also be unsuitable for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Fortunately, there’s a plethora of other medicinal plants that can help relieve pain and inflammation.
Some alternative plants with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects include St. John’s Wort, Boswellia (Indian frankincense), and turmeric.
You might also want to look into Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), a medicinal plant native to the desert areas of South Africa. Devil’s claw has been traditionally used to treat pain, fever, and arthritis.
When Should You Talk to a Doctor?
Like commercial aspirin, the salicin in willow bark may interact with certain medications, like anti-inflammatory and anti-hypertensive drugs and acetazolamide.
If you’re on any prescription meds, please talk to your doctor before you start taking willow bark preparations.
In rare cases, willow bark teas or tinctures may trigger side effects like an upset stomach, increased blood pressure, or allergic reactions.
If you notice any adverse effects after taking willow bark, stop consuming it and consult your doctor.
