rketed 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

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,

ic 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

nown 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

y 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

rketed 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