White Willow, Or Willow.

White Willow, or Willow

A large tree of the willow family, up to 30 m high.

The bark is dark gray, cracked. Old branches are bare and straight; young ones are pubescent. The leaves are lanceolate, silvery-silky on one side and smooth on the other.

Blooms in April - May. The flowers are small, collected in earrings. The fruit is a capsule.

The seeds are small and volatile. Ripen in May - June.

White willow is distributed throughout Russia, with the exception of the Far North.

It grows along the banks and valleys of rivers, on waterlogged silty and sandy soils, willingly takes up places in cleared areas, forms thickets, and tolerates pruning well.

The tree is used to secure the banks of rivers and ravines. The wood is used to make household items, paper and packaging.

The branches are used for wickerwork and making baskets. The industry obtains dye from willow, which dyes leather, wool and silk fabrics red-brown and yellow. Young shoots serve as food for sheep, goats and deer.

The plant is a good honey plant.

The bark serves as a medicinal raw material. It is harvested in early spring during sap flow from 6-7 year old trees.

The removed bark is cut into pieces, dried well in the sun and dried in a dryer at a temperature of 56-60°C.

The finished raw material should break well and not bend. Stored in cardboard containers for 4 years. The raw material contains carbohydrates, cellulose, lignin, phenoglucosides (salicylin, triandrin, flaginin, salicortin, etc.), catechins, tannins, anthocyanins (purpurinidin, etc.), leukoanthocyanins and higher fat cells (linoleic, linolenic).

Willow bark has an astringent, hemostatic, disinfectant, antipyretic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect. Sometimes it is used as an anthelmintic. Previously, it was famous as an antimalarial and was a substitute for cinchona bark.

Infusion, decoction and powder of the bark are used for dysentery, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon, bleeding from internal organs, tuberculosis, female diseases, typhoid and rheumatism.

Externally, the decoction is used for rinsing the mouth and throat, foot baths for varicose veins, sweating of the feet and skin diseases. The bark powder is sprinkled on bleeding wounds.

To prepare a decoction, pour 15 g of crushed bark into 1 glass of hot water, infuse in a closed enamel container in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes, strain while hot through two or three layers of gauze and bring the volume to the original volume. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day before meals.

For itchy scalp and dandruff, use a decoction. It is prepared from equal parts of willow bark, burdock roots, nettle herb and nasturtium. To do this, pour 4 tablespoons of the mixture into 1 liter of hot water, boil for 30 minutes and filter. Wash your hair at night without wiping it dry. The course of treatment is 10-15 days.