People who suffer from lower back pain may find relief with a natural remedy: willow bark extract. Already widely used in Europe for lower back pain, the extract was studied by Israeli and German researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. They confirmed that willow bark extract is effective for treating lower back pain. The findings, published in The American Journal of Medicine (July 2000), are startling: 39 percent of the patients who took a high dose of extract became pain free, while another 21 percent who took a lower dose also became pain free. The active ingredient in the willow bark extract is salicin, a forerunner of aspirin, but other ingredients in the extract also may play a role in relieving lower back pain. "What we've shown is that the willow bark extract is effective and safe compared to a placebo," explains Dr. Elon Eisenberg, the Technion researcher who co-authored the study. "Some people may be able to tolerate NSAIDs, but these are expensive, not readily available and can cause side effects." NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories often prescribed for lower back pain, can cause bleeding and perforation of the gastro-intestinal tract. The study also notes that 76,000 people annually in the U.S. are hospitalized from the effects of these drugs.
"The low doses of salicin [the natural, aspirin-like ingredient in willow bark extract] are safe for the gastro-intestinal tract. That's the advantage of this extract," Dr. Eisenberg says. "The equivalent dose of salicin given in the form of aspirin has no pain-killing properties whatsoever." He adds that people who are allergic to aspirin, are pregnant or are lactating shouldn't take the extract without consulting a doctor. Dr. Daniel Carr, professor of pain research at the New England Medical Center in Boston, calls Dr. Eisenberg's study "unusually persuasive."
"This careful study is a welcome addition to the literature on alternative medicines," Dr. Carr said. "The degree of pain reduction observed with willow bark extract was greater than expected from the modest dose of its main component, salicin, indicating that other, still unidentified components contribute to the extract's beneficial effects."
"The low doses of salicin [the natural, aspirin-like ingredient in willow bark extract] are safe for the gastro-intestinal tract. That's the advantage of this extract," Dr. Eisenberg says. "The equivalent dose of salicin given in the form of aspirin has no pain-killing properties whatsoever." He adds that people who are allergic to aspirin, are pregnant or are lactating shouldn't take the extract without consulting a doctor. Dr. Daniel Carr, professor of pain research at the New England Medical Center in Boston, calls Dr. Eisenberg's study "unusually persuasive."
"This careful study is a welcome addition to the literature on alternative medicines," Dr. Carr said. "The degree of pain reduction observed with willow bark extract was greater than expected from the modest dose of its main component, salicin, indicating that other, still unidentified components contribute to the extract's beneficial effects."