Salix alba 1:1 extract: white willow in liquid form
Salix alba, the white willow, is a deciduous tree native to Europe and western and central Asia, with a range that reaches into North Africa. It grows ten to thirty metres tall and likes to keep its roots near water, along riverbanks, on floodplains and in wet ground. The leaves run five to ten centimetres long and are covered in very fine, silky white hairs, especially underneath; that sheen gives the crown a silvery cast and the species its name. Older trunks develop a grey brown bark with deep fissures. Catkins appear in early spring, male and female ones on separate trees. The wood is light and flexible and has been worked into baskets, kitchen utensils and carvings for centuries. Willow bark contains salicin, the compound that served as the starting point for the development of salicylic acid in the nineteenth century.
This extract is made from that tree. The 1:1 marking describes the concentration: roughly one gram of plant material has gone into each millilitre. A stronger extract such as 2.5:1 packs more than twice as much plant material into the same volume, so this ratio stays close to the herb itself. The white bottle holds 10 ml and comes with a pipette cap, which lets you measure drop by drop. The label puts the contents at more than two hundred drops.
Dosing and use
Shake the bottle briefly and measure a few drops into a glass of water or a cup of tea, or take them under the tongue. Start with a small amount and see how you get on before taking more.
Storage and precautions
Keep the bottle tightly closed, cool, dry and dark, and out of reach of young children. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication, talk to your doctor first. The same category at Avalon Magic Plants holds dozens of other 1:1 extracts, among them Valeriana officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Urtica dioica, Mentha piperita and Calendula officinalis.
