In 1828 French and German chemists extracted white willow barks active chemical salicin. Ten years later an Italian chemist purified the aspirin precursor salicylic acid.
Although this potent pain reliever was first discovered in white willow chemists made the first aspirin from another herb that contains the same chemical meadowsweet.
Aspirin eventually became the household drug of choice for a broad range of everyday ailments.
Contemporary herbalists recommend white willow bark for headache, fever arthritis pain and inflammation.