Instructions
- : People who are allergic or sensitive to salicylates such as aspirin should not use willow bark.
- Step 1: Find a willow tree Find a tree in the willow family. Examples include quaking aspens, bigtooth aspens, white willows, black willows, crack willows, purple willows, and weeping willows.
- Step 2: Remove bark Cut into the tree’s bark, strip it off, and isolate the inner bark. In spring and summer, the bark can be removed in long continuous strips.
- TIP: If you cannot peel the bark off, scrape off the inner and outer bark using the edge of a sharp knife.
- Step 3: Make a tea Simmer 2 teaspoons of the inner bark in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Let it cool before drinking.
- TIP: If you cannot make a tea, an option is to chew on the bark.
- Step 4: Avoid overdosing Drink no more than 4 cups of this tea each day. Overdosing has been known to occur.
- FACT: Aspirin works by reducing the production of pain-triggering hormones called prostaglandins.
You Will Need
- Willow tree
- 2 tsp. inner bark
- 1 c. water
- Fire
- Sharp knife (optional)
