Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and American Indians sometimes chewed the leaves of the willow tree and other plants to relieve pain. But no one knew why these plants helped fight pain until the nineteenth century, when scientists found that these plants contained pain-relieving substances called salicylates.
But in their pure form, these substances make people nauseous. So, in 1898, a German chemist named Felix Hoffman found a way to make a salicylate-based medicine that wouldn't upset the stomach. This new drug was called acetylsalicylic acid, although today it is better known as "aspirin".
At first, aspirin was sold by prescription only, and was served in powder form. Aspirin tablets did not appear until 1915. Today, Americans take about 30 billion aspirins a year - about 100 per person - and aspirin is by far the most widely used drug in the world!
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