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Willow, the Aspirin Tree, I
History of willow as a medicine. Benefits and dangers. Warning.

Propagating Water-guzzling Hardwoods
Willow, poplar, and dogwood trees and shrubs can be started from cuttings, because they contain their own root stimulants.

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Willow, the Aspirin Tree, II

by Traute Klein, biogardener

Age-old natural pain killer from willow trees, also a floral preservative, and root stimulant. It is not for everyone. Find out if it is for you.

Pain Killer

In Europe as well as in North America, willow has been used as a herbal remedy for pain throughout history. Depending on the region, various parts of the plant are used to concoct a drink by boiling the part. Some people simply chew pieces of willow. In recent history, the chemical ingredient in willow has been synthethised as Aspirin or ASA (acetylsalicylic acid). I am not going to try any of this, because my personal experience with has taught me that Aspirin will not relieve pain in a person who is allergic to it. It may, however, cause various more or less severe negative effects, most noticeable among them hyperactivity and bleeding.

Flower Preservative

You know those little packets of flower preservative which florists include with each order of cut flowers? Well, you can make your own. A florist tells me that they contain ASA and sugar. I dare not taste one, but someone who did has verified the ingredients from a taste test.

The sugar is simply a plant food and the ASA is a plant growth stimulant. I don’t want to handle ASA, so I only add a teaspoon of sugar and then stick some willow branches into the arrangement.

Root Stimulant for Seedlings

Would you like to give your seedlings or your tree and shrub transplants a boost? Make some willow water in pails and use it to water anything newly planted.

Directions

Fill a pail with water and stick into it willow branches and twigs. First strip all leaves off to avoid them rotting in the water, turning it smelly. Even if the water turns smelly, it still contains the rooting hormone and is usefull as a root stimulant.

When you see little roots forming on the branches, you know that the water is filled with rooting hormones. Use the water for watering your new transplants and keep topping up the pail with new water. Depending on the need, you may want to start several pails. If you know of a willow tree in your neighborhood, you can pick the branches off the street after a storm.

In a little while, the willows will form a dense mat of unseparable roots. At the end of the season, compost them. Willow composts fast, because it is as soft a wood as you can find, even though, technically, it is a hardwood. All trees with leaves are called hardwoods and trees with needles are called softwoods.

More on Willows

Look for the articles linked in the left column.

© Traute Klein, biogardener