NEN Gallery

The willow was the tree from which Aspirin was later developed. Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age peoples may also have known about its ability in pain relief. There is evidence back as far as 3000 years ago of the use of willow in early medicine. The Greeks and Romans recommended its use. With the complex trade routes and swapping of goods by the mid or late Neolithic it is likely that chewing willow bark to relieve pain was also known to the peoples of Northern Europe. In Celtic times the willow was also the tree of Enchantment and Witches. Its groves were considered so magical that priests, priestesses and all types of craftsmen sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies.