Aspirin - Natural Friend or Synthetic Foe?

Almost everybody has used aspirin at sometime in their lives.  Not that many are aware, that for hundreds of years a related concoction, from the bark of the willow tree, has been used to counteract pain, inflammation, and fever.

During the mid 19th century, organic chemists worked with willow bark, and the flower buds of the plant spiraea ulmaria, so called because its fruit consists of small spirals twisted together.  From the botanical name spiraea came the word Aspirin, (meaning from spiraea).  It was from spiraea, commonly known as meadowsweet, that salicylic acid was first discovered and from which aspirin was later synthesized.

During the 1890's Felix Hofmann, of the Bayer Company in Germany, produced a new medicine, which he called Aspirin that was then patented and manufactured by Bayer.  So aspirin, the most successful medicine in history was born, and initiated what has become the powerful pharmaceuticals industry.  Bayer realised that it had a major discovery on its hands, and circulated information to 30,000 doctors.  Although aspirin was marketed initially as an  anti-inflammatory preparation, for people suffering from rheumatism, it soon became extremely popular as a general painkiller.

Although there have been times when aspirin has fallen out of favour, it has recently been hailed as a life saver, in preventing blood clots and strokes.  Even more recently aspirin is being recommended as a preventative measure against bowel cancer.

In a way, aspirin makes it difficult to entirely separate complementary alternative medicine, from allopathic medicine.  Aspirin has been developed from a substance that occurs naturally, in the plants from which it has taken its name.  Edward Stone, a vicar from Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, England, was a mid 18th century pioneer of using willow bark, and prepared a paper for the Royal Society, in London. It is reported that his interest in using willow bark stemmed from the ancient 'Doctrine of Signatures', indicating that the cause of a disease offers a clue to it's treatment.  He seemed to believe that because the willow tree thrived in damp and wet conditions, where fevers abound, it offered such a clue!  That may add a natural dimension to aspirin becoming the most popular medicine in the world!

It is interesting to note, that in the USA alone 40 million pounds of aspirin, is produced each year.  That equates to about 300 tablets per year for every member of the population.   If that seems like an overwhelming endorsement, it most certainly is not.  A connection has been shown between aspirin and Reye's syndrome (RS), a rare disease that attacks the brain and liver, primarily of children, including teenagers.  The Surgeon General of the Unites States says parents should not give aspirin, or products containing aspirin, to children under the age of 19, unless prescribed by a doctor.

Even in adulthood, aspirin is not safe for everybody.  It can increase the chance of bleeding in the stomach and intestines, and it has been reported to cause a small increase in some kinds of stroke.  It is always wise to consult a qualified medical practitioner before embarking upon any form of self-medication.  So please err on the side of caution.
 
There are preparations available from herbal sources, prepared directly from white willow, that are not considered to have the side effects that aspirin can induce in some people.  Therefore, if you have any reason to believe that taking aspirin could be harmful to you, these alternatives are worthy of discussion with your doctor, herbalist, or pharmacist.  As indicated earlier, it is in everybody's best interests to consult a qualified medical practitioner, before deciding on what is best suited to assist in maintaining their own health.  In any event the unequivocal advice, is not to give aspirin related products to children, including teenagers.