READING COMPREHENSION
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ORDINARY ASPIRIN IS TRULY A WONDER DRUG
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1) This year Americans will swallow 5,000 tons of aspirin, one of the safest and most effective drugs on the market. From an ancient botanical origin, it is the most popular and effective pain reliever in the world today, with relatively mild negative effects.
2) Although aspirin was first sold as a powder by a German company in 1899, its active ingredient was known well before that. Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, understood the medicinal value of the leaves and bark of the willow tree, which are known today to contain salicylates, the active chemical in aspirin. During the 19th century, there was a great deal of experimentation in Europe with this chemical, leading to the pharmaceutical introduction of powdered aspirin. By 1915, aspirin tablets were made available in the United States.
3) Aspirin is the 20th-century wonder drug for the common headache. A small quantity of aspirin (two five-gram tablets) relieves pain and inflammation. It also reduces fever by interfering with some of the body's chemical reactions. Specifically, aspirin seems to slow down the formation of the acids involved in pain, inflammation, and fever. The chemistry is not yet fully understood, but aspirin's slowing effect on the formation of those acids is well known. And for millions of people suffering from arthritis, aspirin is the safest thing that works.
4) But when not taken safely, aspirin is the leading cause of accidental poisoning among children and the second-largest suicide drug. It can also have negative side effects, which fortunately are relatively mild for most people. It is irritating to the stomach lining. Many aspirin takers complained of stomach upset; for decades they were advised to crush the tablets in milk or juice, but they still couldn't stand the bitter taste. The pharmaceutical industry has solved the irritation and taste problems though, with a variety of flavor-coated aspirin "caplets" and time-release capsules that let us more easily and safely enjoy aspirin's benefits.
5) Generally safe and almost miraculously effective, this simple medicine “aspirin” derived from ancient natural remedies, is still the modern world's most popular defense against fever and pain. It is truly a wonder drug.
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