Toothache tree

Prickly Ash Zanthoxylum americanum Angelica tree, toothache tree... 

Common/vernacular names Angelica tree, northern prickly ash, pepper wood, toothache tree, and yellow wood (Z. americanum), Hercules club, prickly yellow wood, sea ash, and southern prickly ash (Z. clava-herculis), toothache tree and xanthoxylum. 

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, who lived sometime between 460 and 377 bce, left historical records of a powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree. He used this powder to relieve headaches and other pains. Native Americans also recognized the medical properties of the willow tree they chewed the willow s leaves and inner bark or boiled a tea made from them to relieve fever or other minor pain like toothaches, headaches, or arthritis. By 1829, scientists discovered that it was the compound called salicin in willow plants that provided the pain relief.A German company called Bayer patented aspirin on March 6, 1889.The folks at Bayer came up with the name aspirin, using the a in acetyl chloride (the chemical compound contained in salicin), the spir in spiraea ulmaria (the genus of plant containing this compound) and in, which was a then familiar name ending for medicines. Aspirin was first sold as a powder, but in 1915, the first aspirin tablets were made. 

Iron nails have frequently been used in the past both for purposes of medicine and necromancy. A favourite remedy for toothache consisted in hammering a nail into a tree and as the iron rusted so would the toothache disappear. This was much less drastic than having the tooth extracted. Warts have been a nuisance for centuries, though it is difficult to understand why such should have been the case as so many infallible remedies have been prescribed from time to time. The mere touching of a wart by a wise man will effect its disappearance provided an iron nail is offered as a reward for the service but lack of men sufficiently wise may nowadays make this cure somewhat difficult to effect. A simpler remedy hails from the Weald of Kent, namely rub the warts with a piece of raw steak and then bury the latter. As the meat rots so will the wart disappear. 

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