Aspirin truly could be referred to as a wonder drug. Today, let’s take a brief look at some of the history of aspirin, as well as some of the health benefits and some of the precautions about the use of aspirin. Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in the world with an estimated 50 to 120 billion aspirin pills being consumed each year throughout the world.

Following is a brief review of the history of aspirin. Aspirin originally came from the leaves of the willow tree, and history tells us that willow leaves have been used for their health effects for centuries.

More recent history tells us that, in 1853, French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt essentially invented aspirin when he treated sodium salicylate with acetyl chloride to produce acetylsalicylic acid for the first time. Then, in the second half of the nineteenth century, other chemists worked to come up with more efficient chemical methods to make acetylsalicylic acid, known today as aspirin.

In 1897, scientists at the Bayer Co. began studying acetylsalicylic acid as a very effective pain-relieving medication. Then, in 1899, Bayer created the name aspirin, and they began selling it all around the world. The word aspirin was Bayer’s trademarked brand name. Aspirin’s popularity grew over the first half of the twentieth century leading to competition between many brands and various formulations of this wonder drug known as acetylsalicylic acid.

The health benefits of aspirin are many. Aspirin is used in the treatment of a number of conditions, including fever, pain, rheumatic fever, and inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and numerous other inflammatory conditions as well. Lower doses of aspirin have also been shown to reduce the risk of death from a heart attack, and to reduce the risk of stroke in some circumstances.

Further, there is some new evidence that aspirin colorectal cancer, although the specific mechanisms of this effect are not clear. In the United States low dose aspirin (81 mg.) is deemed reasonable in persons between 50 and 70 years of age who have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, who are not at an increased risk of bleeding, and who are otherwise considered to be in good general health. Of course, before starting any aspirin program, be certain to first check with your health care provider.

As with any medication, aspirin is not without some health risks as well. It is believed the most common side effect from daily aspirin use is gastrointestinal bleeding. Daily aspirin use may also increase the risk of developing a stomach ulcer, and aspirin may cause inflammation of the stomach lining, known as gastritis.

Because aspirin inhibits blood clotting, any person who takes frequent aspirin must watch for signs of bleeding, such as black tarry stools, excess bleeding when brushing one’s teeth, frequent skin bruising, and others.

Again, I very strongly recommend you do not start a daily aspirin program without first consulting with your personal health care provider.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books. He has his practice at the Digestive Health Clinic at U.P. Health System-Marquette. Requests for health topics for this column are encouraged. Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.