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Mission Critical Wild Medicine

Where can we find natural medicine in the wild? Analgesics and antihistamines are in many mushrooms and plants. The purpose of my mission is to not only find these medicines. But to discover how we can produce and cultivate them without any infrastructure.

Analgesics are otherwise known as painkillers. These are essential for everyday traumas we may experience. Antihistamines help to reduce symptoms from allergies.

In particular, I will find White Willow Bark and Quercetin. Both of which have immense benefits for our health. 

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Where Can We Find White Willow Bark?

Willow bark is in Willow Trees around the world. Apart from Antarctica, the conditions are too severe for this plant to grow there. On my expedition, I plan to search for Willow Trees near rivers and lakes.

Once I am in these wet locations, I will look out for key features of White Willow Trees. Generally, these trees are very tall and can grow up to 25 meters in height. Not to mention having a bark with greyish-brown color. I will also look out for leaves that are slender-looking and a bit paler than green.

How Can We Harvest and Consume White Willow Bark?

There are two ways I can do this, and I will do both. First, I plan to extract the plant by cutting a bit of the bark from the trunk. This method might be a bit risky as I could end up damaging the tree. But I will be as careful as I can with a small knife.

The second way is to target the smaller branches where it will be easier to extract the bark from the tree. So I am less likely to cause any major damage.

As for consumption, the easiest way is for me to chew on the bark. I doubt it will be very tasty. But the bark is in its raw form may have the most medicinal properties. 

Another option is to make tea with the bark. Put the bark in a cup and pour hot water over it. I could then drink this solution.

How To Produce and Cultivate White Willow Bark

There are many trees, such as this planted around America and Europe. So there is no expensive infrastructure needed to keep harvesting the bark. But we need to plant more White Willow trees to ensure longevity for this medicine.

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Research Of White Willow Bark

Many studies show that White Willow Bark is one of the most effective natural medicines. In particular, Willow Bark can is a natural analgesic. When compared with Ibuprofen, Willow Bark was as useful in relieving lower back pain (1). A later study further supported this and found Willow Bark to soothe backaches (2). 

There is even evidence that conveys effectiveness for reducing symptoms of Osteoarthritis (3). When compared with a placebo, Willow Bark was significantly more effective.

As for side effects, research portrays little to none (4). So it is something worth trying as it has many helpful effects.

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Where Can We Find Quercetin?

Quercetin is in a variety of plants and fruits. In particular, in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables. Not to mention onions where there seems to be the highest concentration of Quercetin (5). So, on my expedition, I plan to look for crops that consist of these foods.

How Can We Harvest and Consume Quercetin?

Harvesting Quercetin should be straightforward as we need to find the right crops. I will tear Onions and green leafy vegetables from the ground. Whereas, I can pick citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons from the trees they grow in.

Consuming Quercetin will be simple as it is in the food we eat daily. All the foods mentioned are in local stores. But to experience the most benefits from Quercetin, I will eat organic versions of the foods. 

Furthermore, research shows Quercetin content decreases if we cook it (5). So I plan to consume these foods shortly after picking them. 

How To Produce and Cultivate Quercetin?

Citrus fruits, onions, and leafy vegetables are grown all over the globe. So there should be no issues with producing Quercetin. These foods will always be in demand in local stores and supermarkets.

There is a level of infrastructure needed to mass-produce the plants. But many of us can grow these foods in our gardens to further produce this medicine.

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Research Of Quercetin

Quercetin is one of the most effective plant-based medicines. Some studies imply that it can prevent a range of diseases, like cardiovascular disease and cancer (6). So this suggests it can improve life expectancy and healthy longevity.

Other studies display Quercetin as a beneficial antihistamine. Consumption of food that contains this medicine can reduce allergy symptoms (7). For example, when tested with rats, Quercetin was able to suppress anaphylactic responses.

When consumed through food, there seem to be no side effects. Yet, research shows that consuming Quercetin with tablets or intravenous can be harmful. Adverse effects can include nausea, headaches, and shortness of breath (8).

Final Thoughts

To summarise, I am looking forward to going on my mission and collecting these medicines.

Both medicines have lots of evidence proving their efficacy. So I plan on ingesting them to see what effects they may have on my body. According to previous studies, these are healthy and should do more good than harm.

References

1. Chrubasik, S., Künzel, O., Model, A., Conradt, C., & Black, A. (2001). Treatment of low back pain with a herbal or synthetic anti‐rheumatic: a randomized controlled study. Willow bark extract for low back pain. Rheumatology, 40(12), 1388-1393.

2. Oltean, H., Robbins, C., van Tulder, M. W., Berman, B. M., Bombardier, C., & Gagnier, J. J. (2014). Herbal medicine for low‐back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (12).

3. Schmid, B., Lüdtke, R., Selbmann, H. K., Kötter, I., Tschirdewahn, B., Schaffner, W., & Heide, L. (2001). Efficacy and tolerability of a standardized willow bark extract in patients with osteoarthritis: randomized placebo‐controlled, double blind clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 15(4), 344-350.

4. Shara, M., & Stohs, S. J. (2015). Efficacy and safety of white willow bark (Salix alba) extracts. Phytotherapy Research, 29(8), 1112-1116.

5. Shankar, G. M., Antony, J., & Anto, R. J. (2015). Quercetin and tryptanthrin: two broad spectrum anticancer agents for future chemotherapeutic interventions. In The enzymes (Vol. 37, pp. 43-72). Academic Press.

6. Costa, L. G., Garrick, J., Roque, P. J., & Pellacani, C. (2016). Nutraceuticals in CNS diseases: potential mechanisms of neuroprotection. In Nutraceuticals (pp. 3-13). Academic Press.

7. David Rakel (2018) Integrative Medicine, Fourth edn., : .

8. https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_quercetin/drugs-condition.htm