What This Willow Bark Tea Is For, and Who Must Leave It Alone
Nutra Head Tea is the willow bark tea people reach for when their head aches and they want something calming with it, two to three cups a day. The blend is lavender at 25%, cinnamon at 17.5%, peppermint at 15%, willow bark at 10% and feverfew at 2.5%, with passionflower, ginger, rhodiola and green tea alongside them.
Please read the next two sections before you buy this one. Willow bark and feverfew are the two ingredients that give the blend its purpose, and they are also the two with real contraindications. Treat it as a medicinal tea rather than a gentle one in the way a chamomile is, and the honest version of that is a short list of people who should not drink it at all.
Willow Bark Is Where Aspirin Came From, and the Rules Follow
Willow bark contains salicin, which the body turns into a salicylate. That is the same family as aspirin, and the published contraindications are the ones you would expect of aspirin.
Willow bark is contraindicated for anyone sensitive to salicylates or to anti-inflammatory painkillers, including anyone who has had swelling, wheeze or hives from them. It is contraindicated in asthma brought on by salicylate sensitivity, in an active stomach ulcer, in severe liver or kidney trouble, in clotting disorders, and in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, which is a common enough inherited condition here that our doctor can test for it if you have never been told. It is also contraindicated in the third trimester of pregnancy and not recommended in the first and second or while breastfeeding, because salicylates cross the placenta and appear in breast milk.
And It Is Contraindicated Under 18
This is the one to be firm about. Willow bark is contraindicated in children and adolescents under eighteen years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but very serious condition linked to salicylates given to young people.
So please do not give this tea to a child or a teenager for a headache, however mild it looks in a teabag. If a child in your house gets headaches, come and see our doctor: headaches in children deserve a cause rather than a cup, and we will give you something appropriate for the age.
Feverfew, and Two More Groups
Feverfew is the other active half of the blend, and it has its own list. It is contraindicated for anyone allergic to the daisy family, which includes chamomile, chrysanthemum and ragweed, so if those set your hay fever off, mention it to us.
In pregnancy and breastfeeding the position on feverfew is to avoid it. It also has a mild blood-thinning effect, so it wants stopping before any surgery and checking against warfarin or any other blood thinner. Two smaller things worth knowing: feverfew can cause mouth ulcers and swelling of the lips or tongue in some people, and stopping it abruptly after a long run can bring on a few uncomfortable days, so taper off rather than quitting overnight.
Green Tea Sits in a Blend Sold for Sleep
The tea is sold partly for relaxation and better sleep, and green tea is in the blend. Green tea carries caffeine.
So if sleep is what you are after, this is a strange choice for the evening and the lavender and passionflower are doing their work against the green tea rather than with it. Ask our pharmacist and we will give you something built for the evening instead: our chamomile and valerian tea has no caffeine in it at all and is a tenth of the complication. Keep this one for the daytime, which is where a willow bark tea belongs anyway.
Four Weeks, and What to Keep It Away From
Traditional use of willow bark runs to four weeks and no longer without advice. A headache that needs something every day for a month is a headache that needs a cause, and our doctor is at the pharmacy for that.
Keep this tea away from aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac unless our doctor has said otherwise, because you would be stacking the same effect. If it is an aching joint rather than an aching head, our turmeric and piperine joint tea carries none of this list and is the better daily cup. Tell us if you take warfarin or any blood thinner, because both willow bark and feverfew push in that direction. And the cinnamon in here is worth a question too: ask us which species it is before you drink it every day, because the two kinds differ in a compound the liver has to handle.
What We Are Permitted to Tell You
No health claim for any of these botanicals is authorised, and every botanical claim submitted in Europe remains on hold. So nobody may promise you relief from a headache, better sleep or better circulation from a tea, and we hold back from saying it.
What we can give you is the proportions, the two ingredients that carry the contraindications, the full list of who should leave it alone, the four-week limit, the medicines to keep it away from and the caffeine that sits oddly with the sleep claim. People drink willow bark for an aching head and have done for a very long time, and that is an honest reason to buy a box.
Is This Willow Bark Tea Right for You?
Please talk to our pharmacist or our doctor before you buy if any of these apply to you.
- Anyone under eighteen. Willow bark is contraindicated, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Please come and see our doctor about a child’s headaches instead.
- Any reaction to aspirin or anti-inflammatory painkillers, or asthma set off by them. Contraindicated. Ask us for something else.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Contraindicated in the third trimester and not recommended at any stage or while feeding, on both the willow bark and the feverfew.
- A stomach ulcer, a clotting disorder, severe liver or kidney trouble, or G6PD deficiency. Each is a contraindication for willow bark. Our doctor can test for the last one.
- Warfarin or any blood thinner, or surgery coming up. Both active herbs here push in that direction. Speak to us first.
- Hay fever from daisies, chrysanthemums or ragweed. Feverfew is in the same family.
Where to Buy Nutra Head Tea in Kenya
Order online and we deliver countrywide, or collect from our pharmacy at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. We send orders to Nairobi and every neighbourhood around it — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Rosslyn, Kitisuru, Lower Kabete, Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Buruburu, Donholm, Embakasi, Ngong Road, Kasarani, Roysambu, Zimmerman, Githurai, Ruaka, Banana Hill, Two Rivers, Village Market and Pride Lands — and across Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru and Ngong.
Beyond the capital we deliver to Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Athi River, Kitengela, Kajiado, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Vihiga, Webuye, Kitale, Nandi Hills, Iten, Kapenguria, Embu, Meru, Chuka, Kerugoya, Murang’a, Othaya, Nyahururu, Nanyuki, Maralal, Isiolo, Marsabit, Moyale, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Mwingi, Makueni, Emali, Kibwezi, Voi, Taveta, Wundanyi, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi, Lamu and Hola. At two to three cups a day a pack runs for a known length of time, so tell us the pack size you want and we will work out how many months that covers before you order.
Across Africa, ask us before you order. We have sent orders to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and as far as Malawi, and we will quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of the continent. Tell us the destination and we will confirm any import paperwork before the parcel leaves us.
Living abroad? Order from wherever you are and we deliver to your family here in Kenya. Kenyans in the UK, the United States, Canada, South Africa and the Gulf order from us regularly for parents and relatives at home. A herbal tea like this one taken steadily month after month does far more than a single pack, so tell us who it is for and how many months you want covered and we will set up the repeat.
Why Buy Your Nutra Head Tea from HealthAlone Kenya?
HealthAlone is a pharmacist-led health ecosystem licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and our stock is original, sealed and correctly stored. Kahawa Sukari is a real counter with real pharmacists behind it.
Our pharmacists will go through the contraindications properly before selling you this one, because willow bark carries the same list as aspirin, and will say plainly when a child’s headache or a month of daily cups means our doctor instead. Our doctor is here too if you would rather have the whole question looked at properly.
It is one more step in our vision: building Africa’s most trusted health ecosystem, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Nutra Head Tea: Your Questions Answered
What is in this willow bark tea?
Lavender at 25%, cinnamon at 17.5%, peppermint at 15%, willow bark at 10% and feverfew at 2.5%, with passionflower, ginger, rhodiola and green tea. Twenty bags to a box.
Can my teenager drink it?
No. Willow bark is contraindicated in children and adolescents under eighteen, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Come and see our doctor about a young person’s headaches instead.
Why is willow bark treated like aspirin?
Because it contains salicin, which the body turns into a salicylate, the same family as aspirin. The contraindications follow from that.
I react to ibuprofen. Can I drink it?
Please do not. Willow bark is contraindicated for anyone sensitive to salicylates or to anti-inflammatory painkillers, including anyone who has had swelling, wheeze or hives from them.
Can I drink it in pregnancy?
No. Willow bark is contraindicated in the third trimester and not recommended earlier or while breastfeeding, because salicylates cross the placenta and appear in breast milk. The position on feverfew in pregnancy is to avoid it.
Can I take it with aspirin or ibuprofen?
Not without our doctor’s say-so, because you would be stacking the same effect. Tell us what you take and we will sort it out with you.
I take warfarin. Is that a problem?
Yes, worth a conversation. Willow bark can increase the effect of warfarin-type anticoagulants, and feverfew has a mild blood-thinning effect of its own. Speak to our pharmacist before you start.
What is G6PD deficiency and why does it matter here?
It is an inherited enzyme condition, common enough in this region to be worth knowing about, and it is a contraindication for willow bark. If you have never been tested, our doctor can arrange it.
Will it help me sleep?
This is the awkward answer: there is green tea in the blend, which carries caffeine. For the evening, ask us for a chamomile and valerian tea instead, which has none. Keep this one for the daytime.
Can it cause mouth ulcers?
Feverfew can, in some people, along with swelling of the lips or tongue. Stop and come and see us if that happens.
Can I just stop drinking it?
Taper off rather than stopping overnight if you have been drinking it for a long run, because stopping feverfew abruptly can bring on a few uncomfortable days.
How long can I drink it for?
Four weeks is the traditional limit for willow bark without advice. A headache that needs something every day for a month needs a cause, so come and see our doctor.
Which cinnamon is in it?
Please ask our pharmacist, because the two kinds differ in a compound the liver has to handle and the species is worth knowing before you drink it daily.
Where can I buy Nutra Head Tea 20’s (Willow Bark & Feverfew) in Kenya, and what does it cost?
From HealthAlone, online for delivery countrywide or over the counter at Kahawa Sukari Shopping Center, Nairobi. The current price is shown above. We deliver across Nairobi — the CBD, Westlands, Parklands, Gigiri, Muthaiga, Runda, Kitisuru, Lavington, Kilimani, Karen, Langata, South B, South C, Eastleigh, Kasarani, Roysambu, Githurai, Ruaka and Banana Hill — and to Kiambu, Thika, Juja, Ruiru, Kikuyu, Limuru, Ngong, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Machakos, Kitengela, Naivasha, Narok, Kericho, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kitale, Embu, Meru, Nanyuki, Nyahururu, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Lodwar, Kitui, Makueni, Voi, Taveta, Mariakani, Diani, Ukunda, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu. Outside Kenya we have delivered to Uganda, Tanzania, Somaliland and Malawi, and we quote for Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the rest of Africa on request. Please tell us who it is for when you order, because this is one we will not sell for anyone under eighteen.
