- ASPIRIN was originally made from a natural substance, found in trees of the salix species, commonly known as willow or poplar.
- Used for many centuries in Asia, Europe and then later in America, teas, tinctures, decoctions and poultices of salix were used to reduce fever and relieve pain, especially from headaches and arthritis.
- The bark of the white willow (salix alba) tree contains the highest concentration of the active ingredient salicin. Salicin is converted by the body to salicylic acid which helps to relieve fever and pain.
- Salicin was isolated (in a pure form) from willow bark in 1829 by a French chemist Henri Leroux but the problem was it caused stomach irritation and even bleeding.
- In the late 1800s, laws were passed in America that allowed medicines to be patented only if they were NOT natural. Around that same time, in 1897 a chemist at the Friedrich Bayer & Company in Germany, Felix Hoffman, synthesized acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). On March 6, 1899, Bayer registered the trademark “aspirin” for ASA.
- Consider this : salicin found in willow bark does not have the side effects exhibited by aspirin. It seems that the separation of the active ingredient from the rest of the plant almost always create harmful side effects. However, one may need a few cups of white willow bark tea to achieve the effectiveness of two standard aspirin tablets, bearing in mind that the salicylate content varies with each tree.
- Studies have shown that by taking a low dose of aspirin or half an aspirin a day (about 162 mg) can significantly reduce risk of strokes and heart attacks by preventing blood clotting. In the case of white willow bark, if a certain amount of the herb is able to help reduce pain, then probably that is enough to produce aspirin’s preventive benefits.
- Researchers at the Tel Aviv Medical Center reported in the American Journal of Medicine, that low-dose aspirin therapy may have a “significant adverse effect on renal function” in elderly patients. There was transitory retention of uric acid and creatinine – signs of kidney impairment – caused by aspirin at doses of 75 to 325 mg per day.
Source : “Early and late effects of low-dose aspirin on renal function in elderly patients” American Journal of Medicine (2003) 115:462-6
- Caution : people with ulcers and gastritis should avoid aspirin and white willow bark. Neither should aspirin or white willow bark be used to treat fevers in children since it may cause Reye’s syndrome.
- Aspirin alternatives : besides, white willow bark, the noni fruit is known to be effective for arthritis, pain relief and many other health challenges.
Chapter: Aspirin :: 18 May 2007
