Aspirin natural sources

Many medicines that we now use and often take for granted were based on the healing properties of plants and other natural sources known to traditional healers. Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is a chemically modified form of salicylic acid, a chemical extracted in the early 19 century from willow tree bark, which had been known for centuries to reduce fevers. Today, aspirin is chemically... 

In the early days of organic chemistry, the word aromatic was used to describe certain fragrant substances from fruits, trees, and other natural sources. Chemists soon realized, however, that substances grouped as aromatic behaved in a chemically different manner from most other organic compounds. Today, the term aromatic refers to the class of compounds that can be represented as having a six-membered ring with three double bonds. Benzene is the simplest aromatic compound, but aspirin, the steroid sex hormone estradiol, and many other important compounds also contain aromatic rings. 

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was first produced commercially under the brand name Aspirin by Frederick Bayer and Company in 1897. The word "aspirin" comes from "a," for acetyl, and "spir," for spirea. Spirea is a genus of plants that is another natural source of salicylic acid. 

From what natural source does aspirin originally come (1)... 

Other natural sources of salicylates are listed in Table 1. There are separate monographs on acetylsali-cylic acid (aspirin), benorilate, diflunisal, lysine acetyl-salicylate, and salsalate. Methyl salicylate is covered under Gaultheria procumbens in the monograph on the Ericaceae. 

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are water-soluble substances and thereby penetrate the outermost epidermal skin layers. In contrast, beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) are lipid (fat) soluble and are capable of penetrating to the underlying layers of skin (the dermis) located 1-5 mm below the surface of the skinJ2 Most AHAs are derived from plant materials and marine sources. Commonly used AHAs include malic acid (found in apples), ascorbic acid (a common ingredient in numerous fruits), glycolic acid (a constituent of sugar cane), lactic acid (a component of milk), citric acid (naturally abundant in citrus fruits), and tartatic acid (found in red wine). A common BHA is salicylic acid (an ingredient in aspirin). 

During the nineteenth century, chemists had a good deal of success in isolating and purifying natural products from plant sources. Morphine was isolated as a pure compound from crude opium in 1804. Quinine was isolated from the bark of the cinchona tree in 1820 and was initially employed as a fever reducer. However, its effectiveness against malaria was soon discovered and it found an alternative highly important medical use. Sodium salicylate was isolated from the bark of the willow tree in 1821 and was also shown to have analgesic, antipyretic, and antiinflammatory properties. It took an additional 76 years, until 1897, to synthesize the acetyl derivative, acetylsalicyclic acid, commonly known as aspirin. 

Aspirin and quinine are probably the most famous herbal medicines that have made the transition to mainstream medicine. Many modern medicines were originally isolated from plants, however, but the commercial sources are now usually man-made. For example, Taxol (paclitaxel) was originally isolated from the Pacific yew tree. In 1967 this compound was found to be useful as a treatment for various types of cancer. For almost thirty years, most of the paclitaxel that was given to patients was obtained from the yew tree. Alternate supplies of this drug were developed in the 1990s, moving this natural drug into the realm of modern synthetic medicines. 

Willow trees, source of natural salicylates. Extracts from willow bark were known as painkillers in ancient times. Aspirin, first synthesized in the later 1800s, is a derivative of the natural salicylates, but with milder side effects. 

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