Popelyasta willow (Salix cinerea); ash willow
A dioecious plant of the willow family. A gray, densely pubescent bush 3–6 m tall. Wood under the bark – with frequent ridges up to 15–30 mm long. The leaves are alternate, very pubescent, grayish-green above, grayish downy below, 4–12 cm long, elongated-lanceolate or elongated-ovate, short-pointed, serrate or almost entire, with very prominent 10–16 pairs of lateral veins. The flowers are unisexual, in large earrings without silver pubescence. The fruit is a box. Blooms in March – April, before the leaves appear.
Spread. It grows throughout the territory of Ukraine (except the Carpathian highlands) in swamps, wet meadows, in wet forests. It is grown as a phytomelioration plant.
Procurement and storage . Bark collected during sap flow from 3–4-year-old branches is used. Dry outdoors or in a well-ventilated room. 33% of dry raw material is obtained.
The plant is unofficial .
Chemical composition . Ash willow bark contains tannins (about 12%), flavonoids, flavone glycosides (2.5–3%).
Pharmacological properties and use. A decoction of ash willow bark has analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diaphoretic, antimalarial, antiseptic, hemostatic, wound-healing, astringent and anthelmintic properties. It is used for headache, neuralgia, various forms of neurosis, rheumatism, gout, colds, malaria, indigestion of food in the stomach, inflammatory phenomena in the stomach and intestines, jaundice, diseases of the spleen and liver (when they are overloaded with large doses of toxins), diarrhea, inflammation of the urinary tract, gynecological and infectious diseases, gastric, intestinal, uterine and other bleeding. Externally, the bark decoction is used for rinsing (for stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontitis, angina, inflammatory processes of the oral cavity and throat), for foot baths (for hyperhidrosis, phlebitis, varicose veins, muscle weakness
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – bark decoction (15 g per 200 ml of boiling water) 1 tablespoon three times a day;
bark infusion (1 teaspoon per 200 ml of boiling water, infuse until cool, filter) 1 tablespoon 4–5 times a day;
bark powder 0.5–1 g per night.
Externally – infusion for baths (1 teaspoon of bark powder per 400 ml of cold water, infuse for 8 hours, filter) with hyperhidrosis;
a strong bark decoction for rinsing, washing wounds and foot baths.