Genus and Species: Salix alba
Habitat: Most Missouri willows are associated with wet or low-lying areas: floodplains, fens, stream-sides, riverbanks, gravel bars, swamps, and ditches.
Seasons: Flowers April-May. Seeds ripen in June. Not frost tender.
Active Chemical Ingredient: salicin
Chemical structure:
Uses: Willow bark was one of the original sources of salicin, the chemical that led to the introduction of aspirin, the most widely used pharmaceutical painkiller. Relieves joint pain and manage fevers. The bark is pain-reducer, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, fever reducer, and sedative. t is also given for food poisoning and diarrhea. The bark is harvested in the spring or early autumn from 3 - 6 year old branches and is dried for later use. The leaves are used internally in the treatment of minor feverish illnesses.The leaves can be harvested throughout the growing season and are used fresh or dried. The vines are extremely sturdy, so a tourniquet could be fashioned with them.
Prepared as infusion or tincture*.
*Tinctures are liquid extracts made from herbs that you take by mouth. They are usually extracted in alcohol, but they can also be extracted in vegetable glycerine or apple cider vinegar
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