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An Aspirin a Day: Are We Barking Up the Wrong Willow Tree?
Author(s) -
Krantz Mori J.,
Berger Jeffrey S.,
Hiatt William R.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.30.2.115
Subject(s) - aspirin , willow , salicylic acid , bark (sound) , psyche , tree (set theory) , medicine , psychology , biology , geography , forestry , botany , mathematical analysis , mathematics , psychoanalysis , genetics
Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, is derived from a substance that accumulates in willow trees. Extracts from the bark and leaves contain salicylic acid, used since the time of the Egyptians for the relief of pain. Over the years, the expression, “an aspirin a day keeps the doctor away” has become embedded in our collective psyche, leading to countless individuals consuming this over‐the‐counter preparation on a daily basis without an adequate understanding of its risk‐benefit profile. The public has received the message for decades from numerous guidelines and the manufacturers of aspirin that aspirin should be taken by all adults at risk for cardiovascular disease events.