Willow (Salix alba)

Available either as a dried herb or herbal tincture.

Please note this is a nutritional, functional horse food supplement and not veterinary medicine. See Dr Kellon's Horse Sense - 'Nutrition is not 'Alternative' Therapy.

Tincture

Our human-grade, certified organic tinctures give you a ready-to-absorb potent source of phytonutrients at the highest-strength available, for immediate absorption straight into the bloodstream and to the body’s cells.

100% certified organic pure tincture: Salix alba (White Willow) Bark, Decocted 1:3 35%, Organic Grown

Feed Guide

• Horse - 30-40ml / Pony - 15-20ml, daily in feed.
• Always shake the bottle to disperse any sediment.
• 3-year shelf-life.

Dried Herb

Produced to ecological standards and free from agro-chemicals.

Certified organic dried herb: Salix alba (White Willow), Organic Wild Harvested , Origin Poland

Feed Guide

• 5g/100kg bodyweight per day, thus for an average 500kg horse add 25g daily to feed.
• 1-year shelf-life.

Functional Nutritional Value

Constituents: Phenolic glycosides (salicin), tannins, flavonoids, and catechin.

NB. Our range of botanicals are all grown, harvested and dried without the use of agri-chemicals, non-irradiated and GMO free - see our Quality page for Quality Management & Certification Documents. Laboratory tested for identification and compliance to the British and European Pharmacopoeia standards, and are human grade.

Please be aware that if you're purchasing our dried botanicals for human use, our dried range is cut to appropriate sizes for feeding to horses.

More ...

As long as the bark of a willow tree has a salicin level of at least 1.5%, it’s considered to have herbal value, and white willow ( Salix alba ) regularly tops this so is the classic species used in herbalism, containing the key constituents salicin, tannins, and flavonoids.

Historically, willow has been used for pain relief and as an anti-inflammatory. Chinese practitioners used willow as early as 500 BC for its analgesic effects, and Dioscorides mashed the leaves with black pepper, then drunk with wine it was said to ease lower back pain. The ancient Greeks infused willow bark and leaves in olive oil in large clay pots to relieve arthritic pain and inflammation.

The first recorded use of willow bark in medical literature was in 1763, when a priest named Edward Stone tasted willow’s bitterness and figured it could be used for fevers. Over the course of 5 years, he treated 50 patients with powdered willow bark and concluded that willow was effective for fevers and inflammation.

Equally the native American tribes all used willow as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and febrifuge, preparing it in poultices and tea and frequently chewing the leaves to ease toothaches.

Though a vast number of people and cultures throughout history have used willow for its herbal properties, its active constituent salicin wasn’t isolated until 1828. By the end of the 19th century, a synthetic version of salicin - known as salicylic acid - was produced in a lab, and our modern-day aspirin was made. From then on, willow bark fell out of widespread use as more people relied on synthetic aspirin as their analgesic of choice.

Now here’s interesting. Because the salicin content in willow bark occurs in relatively small amounts, some authors advise that it’s impractical to use the raw herb and instead suggest the use of a willow extract, such as a tincture. One clinical study showed that a standardised willow bark extract containing 240mg of salicin produced serum salicylic acid levels roughly equivalent to those produced by 87mg of aspirin. Thus, the researchers concluded that willow bark’s analgesic and antirheumatic effects are not likely caused by its salicin content alone (Schmid et al., 2001).

Because aspirin was found to be more effective in soothing pain and fevers, the studies on willow started to dry up, with the research focusing more on the history, development, and efficacy of aspirin itself. Nevertheless, despite aspirin’s prevalence, willow bark is still a proven analgesic. In a 2010 study, 78 patients with osteoarthritis were given either 240mg of salicin twice daily or a placebo for two weeks. Those receiving the salicin reported a statistically-significant reduction in their pain (Schmid et al., 2010).

The good news is that willow extract does more than ease pain. In fact, it offers a few notable advantages over its commercial counterpart. The body converts salicin into salicylic acid over a period of time, so while willow works slower than aspirin, it won't cause gastrointestinal problems. And ... willow’s effects last longer in the body than aspirin.

Finally, willow bark offers more than pain support; it contains antiseptic, antioxidant, and immune-boosting properties too, which may be due to the polyphenols and flavonoids contained within the plant (Foster & Johnson, 2006; Pennsylvania State University, 2015).

This is great news for those who suffer from the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatism. In a 2001 study, 114 participants, ages 18-80, were given a daily dose of 240mg of salicin in extract form for their lower back pain. The other half of the study participants were given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Both groups reported reduced pain, but the group taking salicin reported fewer and less severe side effects. What’s more, salicin inhibits the release of cytokines and may help to prevent the destruction of cartilage, giving it an advantage over NSAIDs (Chrubasik et al., 2001).

Now what’s not to love about that?!

We blend willow bark into our DuoBute & TriBute pain/anti-inflammatory supporters, and our WildFed for its prebiotic roughage benefits.

Safety

• Don't feed if taking anticoagulants.
• Don't feed to pregnant or nursing mares.