Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 03/20/2015:

I have used White Willow Bark over the years on and off. No one in my family has ever had a side effect. But of course, that does not mean there are no side effects. Everyone is different. Some cautions that I read about in my Herb reference books are the following:

Mark Penderson, author of Nutritional Herbology, reports of at least one instance of someone finding it to be too harsh for his stomach. At the same time, Philip Fritchey, in Practical Herbalism, explains why it is gentler on the stomach than aspirin.

Philip Fritchie, in his book, Practical Herbalism, cautions that anyone with an aspirin allergy should probably avoid White Willow because it contains Salicin, which is the precursor to acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin.)

Because of the risk of Reye's disease, aspirin is not recommended for children with the flu or chicken pox. For that reason, it may be wise to not give children white willow any time aspirin would not be recommended.

I would tend to think that because aspirin thins the blood and should not be taken prior to surgery, white willow could have the same effect. But I do not find any information that says it does. In fact, Philip Fritchey, in his book, Practical Herbalism, lists it as a remedy for internal bleeding. But I would tend to err on the side of caution and not use it a couple of weeks prior to surgery.

I hope all of that does not sound scary or intimidating. White Willow is considered very safe, and we have found it to be so. Humbart Santillo, author of Natural Healing with Herbs, offers no cautions in his description of White Willow.

~Mama to Many~

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