Willow Bark May Offer Back Pain Relief

Willow Bark May Offer Back Pain Relief

ISRAEL--In the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine (109:9-14), a study reported that an oral willow bark extract (salicin) may offer relief from chronic lower back pain. This four-week, blind study followed 191 volunteers as they followed one of three daily regimens: 240 mg of salicin (high dose), 120 mg of salicin (low dose) or a placebo. The outcome was measured by the necessity for pain medication during the last week of the study.

Those who received the highest dosage of salicin experienced the most pain relief. Thirty-nine percent of those taking the high dose were pain-free in the last week; 21 percent were pain-free in the low-dose group; six percent were pain-free in the placebo group. Only one allergic reaction, which researchers said was possibly related to the extract, was recorded. For a copy of this study, visitwww.amjmed.org.