Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Nice article. Says just to chew the bark if have a headache. Always wondered how one would access the aspirin.

its the inner bark
usually of salix alba - white willow

some other types are used but not all are equal
theres plenty less active and probably some more active
but its S alba thats official

unfortunately willow bark doesnt have the most useful feature of the semi-synthetic aspirin (acetyl salicyclic acid) as an anti-thrombotic
its this feature that keeps it in vogue
70-100mg a day keeps the blood thin and reduces the risk of stroke and thrombotic events significantly. downside is if you are sensitive or dont eat it with food it can give you ulcers.
also less is more - these benefits disappearat higher doses.
that and gargling soluble aspirin for an inflamed throat due to its anti-inflammatory effects.
its not actually that good a painkiller. but when in pain anything will do - even a placebo sometimes

unfortunately to make aspirin youll need a lab and some acetic anhydride.
you wont get that because its the same chemical used to put the acetyl group onto salicyclic acid that is used to put the same group onto morphine - turning it into heroin!

Very interesting JM. How will I recognise a white willow from another? There is a willow upriver and I could maybe get some grow-branches off of it if it is a white. I would be happy just chewing the inner bark for a headache!! Always wondered what would happen if had a whopper and no more shops... real sustainability you know? Not that I get too many whoppers... but always super to be prepared.

well if there were no more shops
then those poppy seed you sprinkle on your breadrolls would become a great deal more valuable
easy to dismiss them as some kind of illicit or bad thing, but if theres no shops then
tincture of opium is your good reserve. Especially harvested from Dry poppy stalks as it has higher in Codeine at that point.
Codeine has saved me from insanity on several occassions when very ill. i always have it on hand in the cupboard, but i always respect it for its real value.

Im not sure how to tell Willows apart
they hydridise so easily
Here in Australia down in NSW they are naturalised but the S alba has hybridised with the S fragilis. In practice its probably fine.
but i had an idea to wildcraft it for the dry herb market and wanted to verify the botanical identity. in the end it was too hard.

Another source of Salicyclic acid is Meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria.
its the plant it was first extracted from when it was called Spiraea ulmaria
Thats much easier to find seed for.

Given you are in South africa ill just go see if theres any plants from their known for their headache/ pain relieving properties....

Ben erik van wyk is my favourite SA Ethnobotanist
http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Erik-Van-Wyk/ ... r_dp_pel_1
and ive got 3 of those 5
my favourite being
http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Erik-Van-Wyk/ ... r_dp_pel_1
which is where im looking for you....
Southern Africa has so many useful planst the world hasnt even begun to be shown...

well the index for analgesic came up with many listings
and the number of remecies for headaches (24) is also large, often snuffs or smoking herbs.
this makes sense as it delivers the drug the the brain more directly than via the lungs
they all probably have different modes of action
some i can see have alkaloids, others via aromatic oils, others unknown

if you like i can type some out when i get some spare time. if you have the space then you might like to conserve the best of South africas plant treasures in your garden.

I dont think for headaches but for external pain
the freshwater mangrove, Barringtonia acutangula, has been found to contain potent analgesics.
It was discovered after An Aboriginal fellow was using traditional plant remedies

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 138407.htm

The plant is found from Australia to India and maybe further?
http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/Bar ... angula.htm

There plenty of other sedatives and analgesics out there in the tropics and subtropics.

Even guava leaves. widely used the world over for all sorts of benefits incl anti-inlammatory and analgesic

Custard apple inner bark is good for toothache - used from the maya to africa to nepal to arnhem land!

I know of one very common tree a friend accidentally at teh bark of (misidentified while excavating) which had a definite effect, and whose relatives are used for the same purposes in Chinese medicine.

if you want to add in painkillers to your food forest its very feasible!

Sorry I only saw your post now JM. Really interesting.

You have an amazingly in-depth knowldege. I love growing poppies. Who would have thought.... I know about opium but never thought for medicinal uses. I am going to look into that more. Is probably the red poppies right?

Maybe I'll just go chew on some bark from the local willow when I have a headache and see if it works before trying to grow a tree from cuttings.

This is new to me. I see it offered on sale here. Will see if I can track some seeds. I found hoodia recently as well as cayenne. Cayenne is a phenomenal plant.


I have the book "People's Plants: A Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa". Is a lovely read. I have a few such books and dig into them often. I have traced most of the plants on the farm and some are pretty useful. Even the little rosa vince that grows here like a weed is being used for leukemia now I read.

I love collecting plants and putting them in some corner. I have lots of space. Especially really useful plants.

You have got me really interested. I think it really worthwhile to have painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicinal plants growing. I have found aloe vera phenomenal with burn pain. It was by accident I came to accept all that was being said about this plant. When taking something from the oven one day I touched the element and burned my finger. I decided to put some aloe vera on and then forgot about it. 2 weeks later I did the same dumb thing again... but this time because I had not suffered the time before I just left it. Exactly the same burn as before and it really gave me trouble. I now use it very quickly on burns. I know that that the prickly pear leaves sliced open and put on burns can do the same thing. Problem is watching for the thorns. I now have aloe vera growing in the garden... safer option.

Guava leaves... amazing. I have a strawberry guava... wonder if has the same benefits.

I have never seen custard apple here. Have read about it only.

The poppies for ,, lets say pain-killers is somewhat different to your normal poppy. Also it is not collected from the seed but rather from the sap ,, cuts near the flower head.I believe Australia ( Tasmania) is one of the largest suppliers of medicinal Opiates in all the world.
It has a 12 foot electric fence:)

Custrad apple ,, basically the same as Cherimoya ,,

We don't seem to have it here. Have looked for it for a while.

If you check that quarantine is ok ,, I'll send you some seed.

Hey! I'll see if I can find out!

Found a local plant that is said to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties comparable to that of cortisone and phenylbutazone without the unpleasant side effects.... devil's claw. Know someone who is taking it for gout. He won't go without it. The root is used.

http://www.honeyvale.co.za/articles/devils-claw.pdf

My Paw Paw tree finally came in along with 2 natural plum trees! I'm not sure yet if I need to replant my lemon tree but one of the satsuma's is a gonner The persistant cold wet stuff had me forget all about my little side lot orchard. I need to get what ever bare root stuff comming quick now the clover is coming up and trees are starting to bud.

I've planted lots in the past couple months.

Jujube
Mulberry
PawPaw
Natal plum
Chicasaw plum
Loquat
Texas Ebony
Gumi Berry
Society Garlic
Redbud
Wax Myrtle
Chicapin
American Chestnut
Edible Ginger
Sweet Bay
Tea
and I'm sure there are some others I'm forgetting.