/oss/taxonomy/term/502/all en /oss/article/medical-history/forget-willow-bark-extract-go-aspirin <p>Contrary to popular belief, aspirin does not occur in nature, it is not found in the willow tree. But there is a connection. Aspirin, or acetyl salicylic acid, was first produced commercially by the Bayer Company based on a synthesis by Felix Hoffmann, a chemist working in 1897 for the Bayer company in Germany. While Hoffmann did indeed synthesize the first commercial sample of acetylsalicylic acid, he certainly was not the first to produce the substance in the laboratory.</p> Wed, 28 Sep 2022 19:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9247 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know/even-aspirin-doesnt-grow-trees <p>It is a common misconception that aspirin is found in the bark of the willow tree. A related compound called salicin does indeed occur in willow bark, thereby explaining the use of the bark as a medication since the time of Hippocrates. But salicin is very irritating to the stomach, a problem that prompted the Bayer company to look for an alternative. One of its chemists, Felix Hoffmann, synthesized acetylsalicylic acid in 1898 and found it to be a great improvement over other salicylates. A triumph of chemistry over nature!</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:27:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8756 at /oss /oss/article/can-aspirin-help-remove-stains-and-keep-your-whites-white <p><span>The internet is </span><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/remove-sweat-stains_n_1452258">full of</a><span> suggestions that Aspirin can be used to </span><a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Get-White-Clothes-White-Again">remove stains</a><span> and get </span><a href="https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/6-secret-laundry-ingredients/">whiter whites</a><span>. These sites don’t offer any mechanism of this bleaching of course, so I had to try it myself.</span></p> Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7134 at /oss /oss/article/drugs-health/aspirin-and-heart-disease <p>A time-honoured medical maxim states, “primum non nocere.” That’s the way, “first do no harm” used to be taught in medical school when Latin was still part of the curriculum. Basically it means that for any medical intervention the possible benefits should outweigh any potential harm. And that goes for the most popular drug in the world. That drug is aspirin.</p> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:21:18 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1672 at /oss