Aspirin as a Multi Relief Medication

Many people are curious about who invented aspirin and what it does. No one person actually invented the product aspirin, the origin of aspirin, as we know it, came about through research. The ancient Greeks recorded the use of willow bark, which contained aspirin-like substances, as a fever fighter. The tree contained a substance called salicin which is a naturally occurring compound similar to acetylsalicylic acid; the chemical name for today’s product aspirin.

The discovery of aspirin was actually the result of the work of several inventors. In 1897 a German chemist Friedrich Bayer and Company was searching for a treatment for his father’s arthritis, and in turn completed the first stable form of the product introduced as Aspirin. The Bayer Company provided aspirin to doctors for their patients by 1899 and today there are studies showing that aspirin can not only relive pain, but lower the risk of heart complications.

Why is this product so effective for multiple conditions? It revolves around the simple chemical compound acetylsalicylic acid. As the main active ingredient in aspirin, it works by inhibiting several chemical processes in the body, including some natural physiological processes that can cause pain and swelling.

By stopping production of chemicals in the body called prostaglandins, aspirin works to get rid of the body’s reaction to a chain of chemical processes that lead up to pain. This mechanism of action works on a cellular level and wasn’t discovered until 1971, which was more than 70 years after aspirin was introduced to the market.

When used under a doctor’s care, not only is this product a highly effective relief for pain, it can also provide the additional benefit to reduce inflammation and swelling due to an injury or even arthritis. Evidence from studies state that prostaglandins are also active in inflamed tissue and since aspirin blocks the production of prostaglandin, tissue inflammation is reduced and swelling is relieved.

Aspirin is mainly used as a pain reliever/fever reducer. It relieves such symptoms as menstrual pain, muscle pain, pain of fever due to colds, headache, toothache, and minor pain due to arthritis.

Like every medication, there are risks as well as results. Children and teenagers should not take this medication if they have chicken pox or flu symptoms unless a doctor is consulted. A rare, but serious condition, called Reye’s syndrome has been associated with aspirin. Reye’s syndrome is an acute neurologic illness that can result in fatty degeneration of the liver and fatal swelling of the brain. Also be aware that this product can produce severe allergic reactions like hives, wheezing, facial swelling, or shock. If you are allergic to any other pain relievers/fever reducer, it is strongly advised that you do not use aspirin. While taking aspirin, do not drink alcoholic beverages, as this may cause stomach bleeding.

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use aspirin without consulting a health care professional first. It is very important not to use this product during the first three months of pregnancy unless directed by a doctor. As with any medication, follow the directions on the label and be sure to inform your health care provider of any and all medications you are taking.

Forms of Aspirin have been relieving pain since 400 BC; with the improvements since then, we can only expect more good results for this product in the future.