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''[[Salix schwerinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix schwerinii]]''<br/>
''[[Salix scouleriana]]'' - [[Scouler's Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix scouleriana]]'' - [[Scouler's Willow]]<br/>
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''[[Salix sericea]]'' - [[Sil
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''[[Salix sericea]]'' - [[Silky Willow]]<br/>
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ky Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix serissaefolia]]''<br/>
''[[Salix serissaefolia]]''<br/>
''[[Salix serissima]]'' - [[Autumn Willow]]<br/>
''[[Salix serissima]]'' - [[Autumn Willow]]<br/>
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The bark of the willow tree has been mentioned in ancient texts from [[Assyria]], [[Sumer]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] as a remedy for aches and [[fever]], and the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] physician [[Hippocrates]] wrote about its medicinal properties in the [[5th century BC]]. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments.
The bark of the willow tree has been mentioned in ancient texts from [[Assyria]], [[Sumer]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] as a remedy for aches and [[fever]], and the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] physician [[Hippocrates]] wrote about its medicinal properties in the [[5th century BC]]. [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments.
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The active extract of the bark, called [[salicin]], was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by [[Henri Leroux]], a French pharmacist, and [[Raffaele Piria]], an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin
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The active extract of the bark, called [[salicin]], was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by [[Henri Leroux]], a French pharmacist, and [[Raffaele Piria]], an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin is acidic when in a [[saturation (chemistry)|saturated solution]] in water (''p''H = 2.4), and is called [[salicylic acid]] for that reason.
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is acidic when in a [[saturation (chemistry)|saturated solution]] in water (''p''H = 2.4), and is called [[salicylic acid]] for that reason.
In 1897 [[Felix Hoffmann]] created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the ''[[Spiraea]]'' plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally ''[[Acetylsalicylic acid]]'', was named [[aspirin]] by Hoffmann's employer [[Bayer|Bayer AG]]. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as [[NSAIDs|non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs]] (NSAIDs).
In 1897 [[Felix Hoffmann]] created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the ''[[Spiraea]]'' plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally ''[[Acetylsalicylic acid]]'', was named [[aspirin]] by Hoffmann's employer [[Bayer|Bayer AG]]. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as [[NSAIDs|non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs]] (NSAIDs).