The genus Salix commonly known as willow has been one of the valuable groups of plants for humankind due to their multiple uses. In India, the Himalayan regions of Kashmir and Ladakh harbor maximum diversity of Salix. In Kashmir, Salix species are said to have been growing since times immemorial. Fossil plant studies have shown that species of Salix were growing in Kashmir even in the Pleistocene period. The credit of their large scale plantation, however, goes to the Mr. MacDonnell first Head of the Forest Department and his associates, especially Mr. Red Cliffs, who started planting exotic species of Salix during 1916-29 around the wetlands of Kashmir and Ladakh. The different species of Salix are used in plantation, landscaping, fuel wood, timber, livestock fodder, wickerwork, bat, fruit box and plywood industry; and also locally used for treatment of different human diseases. Traditionally, people have been using Salix species growing in their surroundings for the treatment of various ailments.
Willow bark is the bark from several varieties of the willow tree, including white willow or European willow, black willow or pussy willow, crack willow, purple willow, and others. Bark from the white willow tree is one of the oldest herbal remedies for pain and inflammation, dating back to ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and Indian civilizations, as an analgesic and antipyretic agent. The medicinal properties of willow bark (Salix alba) have been appreciated by native peoples for centuries.The evolution of herbal medicine has been divided into three phases:
First phase: The use of plants as a medicine goes back to the early man. The ancient civilizations are replete with treatments of diseases with plants. Ancient Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings describe medicinal uses for plants as early as 3000 BC. Indigenous cultures, such as African and Native American, have used herbs in their healing ritual. In India, the major traditional medical system based on medicinal properties of plants dates back to 1600–1000 BC.
Second phase: In the early part of nineteenth century, attempts were made to isolate the active principles from the plants of medicinal value based on their traditional modes of use.
Third phase: A growing body of research is focused on the synthesis of compounds inspired by phytochemicals.
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The bark of Salix alba has been used as a remedy for cold, fevers, and joint pains across cultures for thousands of years. The active ingredient, salicylic acid, responsible for the remedy was first isolated and then produced in synthetic form as a drug called acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).
Wood used in making fruit boxes, furniture, plywood, footbridges and also as fuel. Leaves used as fodder to livestock. Trunk clefts used for making cricket bats and for construction of houses. Fiber obtained from stem used in paper making. The tender shoots and foliage are dried for used as livestock fodder for its use during winter months in Kashmir.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Some experts warn that willow bark may interfere with the body's response against COVID-19. There is no strong data to support this warning. But there is also no good data to support using willow bark for COVID-19.
The landscape of the Kashmir Himalaya is mostly dotted with different species of Salix, and therefore one of the flagship plantation materials in the Social Forestry Programmes. The willows not only serve the people by providing valuable by-products, but also support a rich biodiversity. Unfortunately, during the last 3 decades, willow plantations, especially on public lands, have been cut down at a large scale. The need of the hour is to protect all the private and social forestry willow plantations and make them flourish as the basis of sustainable industry in this region. Given the contribution of the willows in the economy of the region, the commercial aspects of their cultivation need to be studied in detail and their plantation should be encouraged.
(The Author is a Research Scholar at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. Email:sakinagul7@gmail.com)