How do I get an aspirin in the field
Do It Yourself Survival / / December 19, 2019
This article goes a story about how to "get" an aspirin in the field - namely, from the bark of willow trees. As a result, you get an excellent remedy for headaches and hangover.
Aspirin, which is sold in pharmacies - is acetylsalicylic acid. Willow bark can get herbal tea, containing salicylic acid, which is a raw material for acetylsalicylic acid.
In tablets, the active substance content is naturally high, which accelerates the action of the drug. The willow tea salicylic acid concentration is low and is completely safe. B represents a quite mild analgesic Unlike commercial aspirin extracted from willow bark.
Step 1: find the right willow
If you have any doubt and you're not 100% sure about the species of a plant, never use it. It can be life-threatening and lead to illness or even premature death.
Are 4 main types of willow trees: weeping, black, zolotistovolosistaya and white or silver willow.
The latter contains the greatest amount of salicylic acid. In addition, it is easiest to find. It grows usually near water.
Similarly, make sure that it is a real willow. To do this, first of all, pay attention to the leaves, they should look like this:
The edges are not wrapped down, with the pointed tip, 5-15 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, downy hairs appressed silver.
Secondly, bark. It should be dark gray, on older trunks - rough, longitudinally fissured.
Third, take a handful of leaves, grind them up a bit and smell the smell. Remember this kind of sweet flavor. According to it, determine the willow will be even in winter.
Step 2: "extract" a piece of the inner bark of the willow
After willow identity accurately installed, you can proceed to the process of "obtaining" aspirin. For these purposes will need inner bark of the tree. Reliable sharp knife to gently cut out a square in the cortex. Make sure that the knife went deep enough. Remember that interest is not the outer bark and the inner. Holding the knife at one point, gently pry outwardly cortex.
Act like that around the perimeter of the square. Do not pull too hard. If you do this, the crust will break into pieces, and all the work will go down the drain. Ideally, you need to dig out this very square.
Please note that the crust partly white, partly pinkish. Pinkish veins - it is just that. what do you need. Carefully clean the square piece of the outer crust.
Do not worry about the fact that you are deprived of the bark. This small scar heal fairly quickly and does not harm the general condition of the tree. However, there are two rules for handling willows:
- Never take the bark of the same tree twice a year.
- Never cut the bark around the trunk perimeter. Square pieces of approximately palm of your hand is enough.
Otherwise, your actions can severely harm the health of trees and maybe even kill him.
The final step: preparing willow tea
Put the pieces of bark on the coffee filter. Wrap in a knot. Put it on a different coffee filter and wrap again. Secure the knot thread. I should get more tea bag. By the way, to use two coffee filter optional, it will be enough of one.
Then place willow sachet into a pan of boiling water. Stirring occasionally, watch the color of the water. It will slowly acquire a reddish-brown color.
Approximately 20 minutes tea should be ready. As soon as it boils, a long time do not keep it on the fire, it is just a few minutes. Be sure to filter out the tea from unwanted impurities and particulates. This can be done, for example, using a tea strainer, a handkerchief or gauze. Then you can add the resulting drink a little bit of sugar (optional) and a drink. Oddly enough, in willow tea taste pretty good.
The undeniable advantage of this tool is its 100 percent natural. As they say, no additives, dyes and preservatives. Willow beverage is an excellent tool in the fight against minor pains. But to use it too often is not recommended, as it can develop immunity.
Try not to drink more than one cup at a time. If you are experiencing quite a lot of pain, this treatment probably will not be effective, but still able to alleviate the condition. One last tip: if you can not cook tea (Or just lazy :), then at least just chew willow bark. Everything is much better than nothing.