Is willow toxic

[Janne]

For Gods sake, he is not going the eat the whole bush!

You do not even suck on a pipe, but blow, so the possible amount of ingested Salicin is on a Homeopatic level, ie virtually zero.

It is s much greater risk of severing your Femoral Aorta carving the pipe than getting any reactions.

 

[Toddy]

M

 

[kernelpanic]

Well I've made bunch of these today practicing and so far nothing has started to drop off me so I can assume it's safe. Will be having a whisky tonight so I'm sure that will counter affect anything
On a tools note, I used my Ben orford nomad and it worked great at the job of the whistles

 

[Janne]

Remember, some toxins work longtime. Liver can not process them, so they stay there and slowly damage it..

First the cells get filled with fat, called Steatohepatitis. Then, years later, the cells get replaced by a kind of scar cells. Called Cirrhosis.
If you get that, you have two options.
Option 1: Pray
Option 2: Liver transplant.

If you continue exposing your liver to the toxin, the new liver will fail quickly. Think a famous footballer.


I am thinking of the whisky, btw.
Cheers!
I am certain the footballer wished he was makind willow pipes instead!

 

[Robson Valley]

Lots of middle aged and elderly people are on lifetime ASA treatment (75 - 81 mg/day), known to provide some protection from heart attack.
BBC reports today of a large study which showed significant GI tract bleeding in 1/200 people on ASA.
Study showed also that this rose to 2% (4/200) above age 75. They did not say how much blood loss was too much blood loss.
A simple test for occult blood in stool is easily provided.

Let's all enjoy making a bunch of willow whistles. My neighbors will never miss a few twigs.

 

[Janne]

Personally, with my intestinal problems, I can not touch ASA.
Or cheap wine.
Life sucks!

 

[Toddy]

How are you with herbal meadowsweet though ? It's whole plant type thing reputedly (and somewhere I have a copy of a properly done scientific research paper showing that this is so, but until I can quote it reliably we'll go with reputedly) protective of the digestive tract but does provide the benefits of the salycilates.

I find I can manage it, and I have issues with almost all drugs.

I sometimes wonder if purifying extracts and making synthesised versions in the lab, isn't always the kindest thing to complex organic systems like the human body.

M

 

[slingback]

Or you could use Sycamore. this time of year will be good.

 

[Toddy]

Good point and sycamore is entirely food safe.

M

 

[Laurentius]

Remember, some toxins work longtime. Liver can not process them, so they stay there and slowly damage it..

First the cells get filled with fat, called Steatohepatitis. Then, years later, the cells get replaced by a kind of scar cells. Called Cirrhosis.
If you get that, you have two options.
Option 1: Pray
Option 2: Liver transplant.

If you continue exposing your liver to the toxin, the new liver will fail quickly. Think a famous footballer.


I am thinking of the whisky, btw.
Cheers!
I am certain the footballer wished he was makind willow pipes instead!

That may be the case but I think at the end of the day it depends on the individual, some people can just get away with more than others. I am not known for not drinking more than the current medical advice, but my liver is not enlarged and is functioning as it should do, I wouldn't worry about willow, unless you are adding the bark to your whisky

 

[Janne]

True.
I also believe that WHAT you drink is important. Beer drinking countries seem to have less liver damage (and less Alcoholism) than in the Vodka belt.

Maybe drinking through a Salix straw would prevent or lessen the hangover?