There are around five hundred different varieties of willow; several of them are useful in herbal medicine. Since the beginnings of the current era (AD time), willow has been used for pain and inflammation. Historical evidence points to willow being used throughout Europe and North America for fever, pain relief, and easing swelling. Because the willow grows throughout the Northern hemisphere, many different people had relatively easy access to this healing powerhouse. So what makes willow so amazing? A chemical called salicin. Many plants contain it — salicin was isolated in the 1820s from a plant called queen of the … Continue reading →