Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site gatech.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!emory!gatech!carter From: carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard) Newsgroups: net.med Subject: Re: Asprirn Message-ID: <12308@gatech.UUCP> Date: Sat, 2-Mar-85 18:42:59 EST Article-I.D.: gatech.12308 Posted: Sat Mar 2 18:42:59 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Mar-85 04:07:21 EST References: <887@cbdkc1.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: School of ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Lines: 29 > As an aside, willow bark works like aspirin, it is mild on the stomach > and it is natural. I use it occationally and it works very well (I > never use aspirin). Has your doctor ever recommended willow bark for > a headache? > > {allegra|ihnp4}!cbdkc1!tjs Actually, willow bark contains Salicylin, which is converted to salicylic acid in the liver. Commercial aspirin is acetyl salicylic acid, which is degraded to salicylic acid in the stomach. In effect, everytime your doctor, mother, priest or local witch doctor prescribes aspirin, they are actually prescribing willow bark. The history of the discovery of aspirin-like compounds is actually quite fascinating. The pharmacologic philosophy that was employed to discovery a natural substance for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was that 'the cure for an illness would be found in close proximity to the cause of the disorder.' So it was thought that the cure for rheumatism would be found in damp, cool boggy areas, since, at that time, it was thought that this type of environment was the cause of the disorder. Lo and behold, the willow tree, which happens to have an an uncanny habit of growing in swappy bogs, just happened to be the largest producer of salicylin in the free world, which in the early 1800's quickly replaced the popular dietary therapy, which was completely ineffective. -- Carter Bullard ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet:Carter @ Gatech ARPA:Carter.Gatech @ CSNet-relay.arpa uucp:...!{akgua,allegra,amd,ihnp4,hplabs,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!carter