From: James Rogers (jamesr@best.com)
Date: Thu Jun 04 1998 - 18:55:17 MDT
At 07:11 PM 6/4/98 -0400, Michael Lorrey wrote:
>
>This is the real issue. I wonder when red rice yeast will become a controlled
>substance. Of course, they haven't made tree bark illegal to chew on, even
>though it contains aspirin....
>
Minor snit, but tree bark does not contain aspirin; it contains salicylic
acid. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which decomposes into salicylic
acid in the presence of water. While salicylic acid *is* the active
ingredient, it can cause chemical burns to the esophagus and mouth when
concentrated to any degree. The acetyl- group replaces the hydroxyl group
just long enough to get it into your stomach with damaging the tissue along
the way. Aspirin is basically a technological improvement on a very old
analgesic.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com
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