Barking up the Right Tree

Why don’t Native Americans get headaches? No, this isn’t the opening to a politically incorrect joke, and the answer is actually quite simple: willow bark! Native Americans have long chewed the bark of willow trees as a remedy for headache and muscular pain. The same is true about ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Now, while many ancient remedies don’t have great success rates (cough bloodletting cough), willow bark has shown up in multiple cultures and has stood the test of time. This article talks about the role willow bark has played in both ancient civilizations and as well as in the life of plants. So, is there any truth to willow bark’s salutary effects?

There sure is! Willow bark (particularly that from the white willow tree) contains a substance called salacin. The prefix, sali-, even comes from the Latin word salix, meaning willow. When salacin is ingested, the human body converts it into a new compound called salicylic acid. For the full process on how the body converts salicin to salicylic acid, look here. Salicylic acid is one of the main constituents of acetylsalicylic acid, more commonly known as aspirin.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid and aspirin have similar structures and similar effects on the body. Both help reduce inflammation and mitigate pain. Thus, chewing some willow bark and gulping down an aspirin are going to have comparable results. However, there are notable differences. The effects of willow bark have been reported to be much slower than those of aspirin. The effects of willow bark have also been shown to last longer. Both treatments can cause an upset stomach, but willow bark has been reported to cause this side effect less frequently.

Willow bark is definitely a viable treatment for minor aches and pains. However, the amount of salicylic acid you can get from willow bark is relatively low, and chewing willow bark or drinking willow tea means you have to deal with their bitter taste. If you need quick relief, or you’re just not in the mood for an attack on your taste buds, then aspirin is probably the way to go. But if you’re looking for a natural source of pain relief that has hard science backing it up, then willow bark is a pretty good option.

Just couple of warnings. If you intend to remove bark off a willow tree, try to avoid taking it off the main trunk if you can. I mean, causing permanent damage to a tree is no way to say thank you! Also, remember that taking willow bark is a lot like taking aspirin. If you are allergic to aspirin or are not able to take it, you shouldn’t be taking willow bark either. The University of Maryland Medical Center has info on the dosing and usage of willow bark and is a recommended read to those interested in willow bark as an herbal therapy. Despite the trouble of finding a willow tree, the flavor, and a couple of other issues, I think you’ll agree that when it comes down to it, willow bark is a lot better than its bite.

If you’re interested in making some willow bark tea yourself, check out this site for a nice, simple to follow recipe.

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My name's Vivek. I'm a mountain biker, a card player, and an aspiring scientist. I'm a Michigander and a dog lover. Enjoy the post!

The Un-Bee-Lievable Antibiotic Properties of Honey

We’ve all squeezed the stomach of that golden bear sometime in the last couple of months and watched that gluey, sweet liquid emerge, whether to make a dessert or to sweeten some tea. Yes, I’m talking about honey, the wonderful sweetener that bees make by buzzing from plant to plant collecting nectar. However, we seldom realize the wondrous properties of honey that extend past our taste buds: like medicine!

Honey has been documented in diverse ancient civilizations for its antimicrobial properties and as a treatment for wrapping wounds. Yet, the antibiotic nature of honey had not been fully appreciated until recent years. Reading about the antimicrobial tendencies of honey, here and here, I realized that honey is so much more than a cooking ingredient; it’s a miracle worker for wounds and infections!

As it turns out, honey has some peculiar qualities (although these vary with various types of bees) that specifically aid in its war on bacteria.

•  First, and probably the one that you and I are most thankful for, honey’s high sugar content and low water content lead to honey being hygroscopic (jargon for something’s tendency to absorb moisture). As a result, it hinders the growth of bacteria in open wounds by creating a hostile environment.
• Second, honey has a relatively acidic pH (~4) that inhibits bacterial growth. In other words, honey sends bacteria packing because they can’t handle the harsh (and ironically sweet) climate.
• Third, honey also naturally produces a substance that you would otherwise find in the brown bottle at your local pharmacy: hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Hydrogen peroxide production in honey is initiated by an enzyme called glucose oxidase, put into honey by our good old friend the bee, when the honey becomes diluted (e.g. when you put it on a burn or cut).
• Fourth, honey also seems to have been specially crafted by our Apis friends to have some particular bacteria-fighting agents, such as a protein called bee defensin-1 or HMF (Hydroxymethylfurfural), which both inhibit particular metabolic functions of the bacteria.

So, at the end of the day, the honeybees end up getting the bad rap while we should be thanking them for giving us nature’s antibiotic. I mean, we all know what it feels like to get stung by a bee (personally I’ve been stung by three at the same time – it HURTS), but we should also realize the tradeoff; in recent studies, honey has actually been more effective than some common antibiotics used in hospitals at treated burn and open wounds. So while you may hate or resent that flying, striped coat, it might end up helping you recover from an injury, suppress a cough, or even sweeten your cup of tea.

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Mihir: I am a chemistry student and an avid sports fan and player. I watch several sports, though football (because I play) and baseball have to be my favorites. In football, I play on the offensive line and hope to possibly pursue a college career as well. This is my first time blogging, so I hope you enjoy!

Forget the Venison!

Well, hunting season just ended here in Michigan, and people from all over have stowed away their rifles and camouflage after a mediocre hunt. However, a few have captured that huge, prized buck they’ve been after for years. But before you take off that head and mount it on your wall, you may want to get something out of it first. That’s right, the antlers of that buck can be just as important as that juicy meat. I’m talking about a substance that’s becoming more popular –and controversial– now than ever before: deer antler spray.

Increasingly used nowadays, deer antler spray is quickly becoming one of the most popular and scrutinized supplement used by professional athletes. First used in China thousands of years ago for traditional medicine purposes, deer antler spray is now used by athletes in the U.S to help build and repair muscle.

An intricate process goes into creating the spray. While a male deer is growing up, its antlers grow very quickly, and produce a velvety texture on the outside. During this growing phase, some deer get their antlers clipped as to prevent them from getting too hard or sharp later on. When the tip is clipped off, it is then frozen, and sent to manufacturers who create the lucrative spray. “But wait,” you may ask, “what’s so special about the deer’s antlers that help athletes?” The answer lies in the chemical composition of the antlers themselves.

The main reason that deer antlers grow so quickly is that they contain a protein called IGF-1. IGF-1, or Insulin-like growth factor -1, is the same protein that exists in humans, and helps children grow. The protein helps create cells which can “generate new muscle after exercise-induced injury,” according to Business Insider. This process works because the brain’s growth hormone tells the liver to create IGF-1 (shown below), which “binds to the receptors in muscle cells, signaling them to multiply and grow,” according to CBS. When muscles are torn or strained, like NFL linebacker Ray Lewis’ triceps injury in 2012, deer antler spray can be (and is widely) used. Taken by mouth, the spray increases levels of IGF-1 in the body, so cells are created that can help heal damaged muscles faster and thus lead to a quicker recovery time.

IGF-1

Because of its capabilities, deer antler spray was banned by the World Anti-Doping Association. This treats IGF-1 as a performance enhancing drug, like testosterone or HGH. However, the ban was overturned when research showed that the deer antler sprays only contained small amounts of IGF-1. That research certainly didn’t stop athletes from using the product, however, as a supplement seller “Nutronics Labs” reported that hundreds of athletes continue to purchase and use the spray.

For now, deer antler spray is banned by some professional sports organizations, and is becoming more scrutinized as its popularity rockets. What do you think? Should deer antler spray be treated as another PED, or should it be given a little more leeway in locker rooms and training facilities? The “buck” stops here.
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Kiran

high school junior

basketball, food, and science enthusiast