The leaves and bark of the
willow tree have been mentioned in ancient texts from Assyria, Sumer and Egypt
as a remedy for aches and fever, and the Ancient Greek
physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) wrote about its medicinal properties in
the fifth century BC. He noted that chewing leaves of willow (Salix)
reduced pain, and he also prescribed this remedy for women in labor. Native
Americans, the Alabama, Chickasaw, and Montagnai Indians, used willow to relieve
fevers, aches, and pains, and the beneficial effects were also known to the
Hottentots of southern Africa.
The active extract of the
bark, salicin, was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a
French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded
in separating out the compound in its pure state. In 1897, Felix Hoffmann
created a synthetically altered version of salicin. The new drug, formally
acetylsalicylic acid, was named Aspirin by Hoffmann's employer Bayer AG. Aspirin’s
ingredients now come from coal tar and petroleum products and people around the
world use about 40,000 tons of aspirins a year to treat disorders and
discomforts. It’s so easy (and healthy!) to go natural, so if you wish to give it a try I
am sharing this recipe with you:
To make the pain killer you’ll
need:
½ teaspoon dried willow
bark
2 cups cold water
In a glass jar or bowl add
the water and willow bark, cover and soak overnight. The next morning transfer it
in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes at low heat. Strain,
cool and bottle. The dosage is ¼ cup to be sipped slowly, as needed for the
pain.
It really does work and very
fast indeed! You'll be surprised!
References:
Photos:
