Red willow is mixed with sacred pipe blends and is thought to make the link to immortality. It is also the patron herb for communication.
It is ideal for clearing or meditation and works well in incense.
Red willow bark acts a lot like aspirin, so it is used for pain, including headaches, muscle pain, menstrual cramps, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis, gout, and a disease of the spine called ankylosing spondylitis.
Red willow barks pain-relieving potential has been recognized throughout history. Willow bark was commonly used during the time of Hippocrates, when people were advised to chew on the bark to relieve pain and fever.
The leaves and bark of the willow tree have been mentioned in ancient texts from Assyria, Sumer, and Egypt as a remedy for aches and fever, and in Ancient Greece the physician Hippocrates wrote about its medicinal properties in the fifth century BC. Native Americans across the Americas relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments.
