Lower back pain and herbs

Lower back pain is often debilitating and effects up to 90% of Australians at some time in their lives.

However there are a plethora of herbs which can effectively result in a pain-free future. These include Turmeric, Boswellia, Ginger and White Willow bark. Indeed these herbs have a potent anti-inflammatory effect taken in combination. Let’s examine just one of these a little more closely.

White Willow Bark
Research shows that a daily 240 mg standardised dose of White Willow bark (Salix alba) in 451 back pain sufferers resulted in 40 percent of the patients being pain free in just four weeks.

Salix alba is a species of willow native to Europe and central Asia, and has been used as a therapeutic agent since ancient times. Indeed some reports of its use to be around 400 BC by Hippocrates, who recommended the bark be chewed for relief of fever and pain.
The active ingredient is salicin which is converted to salicylic acid by the liver and has far fewer side effects than aspirin.
The gastric effects of aspirin have led to a resurgence in the use of Salix alba for inflammatory conditions.

In one study, 191 people with an exacerbation of chronic lower back pain reported their level of pain as 5 or more out of 10. They were divided into three groups – one received 240 mg of salicin, one received 120 mg salicin and the third received placebo.

At the end of the four week blinded trial, 39% were pain free in the group receiving the high dose extract, 21% were pain free in the group receiving the low dose salicin. The effect on pain was noticed after the first week in the high dose salicin group. Salix alba works by being a nonselective inhibitor of
COX-1 and COX-2, used to block inflammatory prostaglandins.
These studies and others prove that Salix alba is a most effective analgesic. And as noted above, when combined with other strong anti-inflammatory herbs, is a powerful tool in pain management. These are all available in tablet and liquid herbal forms at the clinic.