All good preppers know that it is not enough to have tons of water, food and even medications stockpiled, you also need to know how to make supplies that you may need when SHTF. This is because you never know what kind of situation you will be faced with. This is why knowing how to make aspirin from materials found in nature just might be the key to your survival!

Thee Steps For Making Natural Aspirin Include:

The Ingredients To Collect:

There are many different types of willow trees and not all of them have high levels of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is the active pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory component that is used to make aspirin. The types of willow trees with the highest levels of salicylic acid include:
Salix alba (White or European Willow)
Salix purpurea (Purple Willow)
Look for a white willow tree first.  White willow trees grow throughout much of the US. Features of a white willow tree include:
A rough grayish bark
Irregular “furrows”
Smaller branches and twigs that are slender, golden brown and flexible
Leaves that are long and slende with a fine serration at the edges
Tops of the leaves are shiny and green, while the undersides of the leaves are white and silky
Leaves alternate instead of being opposite one another.

Try to find some loose bark and pull it off. As you pull off the bark, make sure that you are getting the papery material that underlies the bark. It is a good idea to strip the bark from younger branches rather than the trunk.
Making  Aspirin

Dry the strips if you have time.

The best way to make willow bark tea is to boil the bark in water. You will need to make a fire. Boiling the water that you will be using for your tea is also the best way to disinfect and purify the water. You will also need a container to boil the water in, ideally made of metal. Collect about 3 cups of water, purify it by adding chlorine or ozone.  If you can’t start a fire, let the willow bark soak in the water for at least an hour.
Add the willow bark strips to boiling water,  simmer.  Add  strips of willow bark to the water. Use about one tablespoon of willow bark per cup of water. Allow  willow bark to simmer for five – 10 minutes,  then remove it from the fire.
Taking  Medicine

Allow the willow bark tea to cool down a bit before drinking. Pour the liquid into a cup. Let the tea cool down for about 20 minutes, drink it slowly.Take the willow bark tea with some food if possible. Salicylic acid has an irritating effect on the stomach. Be aware that it will take a little while before you feel the effects of the tea, so be prepared to wait a couple of hours after drinking the tea.

Be aware of potential side effects. The most common adverse effect of willow bark tea is mild to moderate stomach upset. Taking too much willow bark can cause nausea, vomiting, and tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears.

The process of making natural aspirin may seem long and complicated but if it helps ease your pain when traditional medicine may not be available then it will be well worth the effort.

As a prepper, knowing that a willow tree can not only provide you shelter but also medicine when you need it most may make getting lost in the words a little more bearable. Also, knowing how to make aspirin when you are in trouble just might make you feel better long enough to get to safety!

To find about more about making aspirin naturally, visit wikiHow.

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