Willow
Willow tree
Scientific Name: Salix babylonica
Type of Plant: Tree
Description: Willows grow between 35 and 50 feet tall and develop a crown of the same size but have an extremely developed root system that is often larger than the tree. Willow roots have been known to destroy septic systems and sidewalks in developed areas. The wood is soft, usually pliant, and tough. The slender branches are filled with a watery bark sap that is heavily concentrated with salicylic acid.
The leaves are typically elongated, simple, and feather-veined.
Natural Range: Willows can be found throughout the United States, with weeping willows found primarily on the coasts. Because of its ability to absorb large amounts of water, they are often planted in flood zones or areas that need to be drained. The strong root system also prevents erosion.
Food Usage: Willow is edible, but it is unappetizing and is best considered to be a famine food. The inner bark is edible but first needs to be boiled several times to remove the bitterness caused by the salicylic acid. In Scandinavia, the boiled inner bark is dried, pulverized into dust, and added to flour to extend it. Historically, sawdust of all types has been used during famines as a flour extender. In my opinion, the best use of a willow tree from an edible perspective is to utilize willow saplings to make frog gigs. Since the edible parts of the tree are so bitter and it grows next to water, it makes sense to skip the bark and go for the meat.
Willow Sapling Frog Gig
Materials:
• Straight 6–8 foot willow sapling about 2 inches in diameter
• 3-inch long green twig about the size, of your little finger
• Cordage
Procedure:
• Trim the sapling of all limbs.
• Strip the bark off the smaller end of the stick, clearing a spot about 1 foot long.
• Place the root end of the sapling (the larger of the two ends) on a large rock or stump.
• Use a knife to split the thin end of the shaft 7 or 8 inches deep.
• Turn the sapling 90 degrees and make a second split to the same depth perpendicular to the first, making 4 equal pieces.
• Split the 3-inch twig into 2 halves.
• Wedge the first half into a split in the shaft to use as a spreader.
• Install the other spreader into the opposite split.
• Sharpen the 4 spread tines to turn them into sharpened points. You may add barbs, but the tines are spread enough so that barbs are both unnecessary and weakening of the points.
• Lash the spreaders to the shaft.
• Trim the spreaders flush with the lashings.
Keep in mind that when using the gig, light is refracted, making the object of attention look behind where it actually is, so aim low.
Alternative Usage: While the willow is not the greatest wild edible, I decided to include it because of its outstanding alternative uses, of which I am going to share two. Willow trees make an excellent rooting hormone that allows almost any cutting to be rooted. Willow roots so easily that the new growth can root itself similar to strawberries or blackberries. My dad recently cut some willow and the cut logs sent up shoots to root.
The second alternative use is extracting the salicylic acid, which is the natural version of aspirin. However, you should know that salicylic acid is rough on your stomach, which means you should not take more than a cup or two of willow tea without both understanding your body and seeking the advice of your doctor.
Willow Rooting Hormone
Materials:
• Water
• First year willow twigs with green or yellow bark
Procedure:
• Cut the twigs into 1-inch pieces.
• Place the chopped willow twigs in a container.
• Cover the twigs with boiling water.
• Let steep overnight.
• Separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring the liquid through a strainer.
• To use, pour some willow water into a small jar, and place cuttings in the jar as you would put flowers in a vase.
• Let soak overnight.
• Remove from water and plant as you would any cutting.
You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Willow Bark Aspirin
Materials:
• Willow tree
• Water
Procedure:
• Cut a square that is a little larger than an index card into the trunk of a willow tree. Ensure that this square is cut all the way through the bark, as you want to harvest the inner bark layer.
• Gently pry the square out, slowly going around the edges of your square to keep it as whole as possible. The goal is to get as much of the pink-tinged inner bark as possible.
• This scar will heal rather quickly, but it is best to harvest from a stand of trees and not focus on a single tree. If you cut out a ring all the way around the tree you will destroy its circulatory system and it will die.
• Scrape out the inner bark and collect at least 2 teaspoons of the bark.
• Boil water.
• Mix one cup of boiling water with 2 teaspoons of the inner bark and boil for 20 minutes.
• The tea will slowly take on a reddish brown color.
• Let steep 10 minutes.
• Filter out the solid bark. I use a very fine metal coffee filter, but in a pinch you can use a coffee filter over a glass or a cup with tiny holes poked into it.
This tea is good for minor pains, headaches, and anything aspirin would generally work for. If you are allergic to aspirin or are sensitive to it, then do not use this willow formula.
Do not drink more than four glasses a day.
Note: Hippocrates referred to the use of salicylic tea to reduce fevers around 400 BC. The use of natural salicylates for pain relief was widely used, and it was not until 1897 that the Bayer chemical company began producing a non-willow-based aspirin.