Salicin is an alcoholic β-glucoside.
Salicylic acid, like aspirin, is a chemical derivative of Salicin.
Salicin is an anti-inflammatory agent that is produced in(and named after)
willow(Salix) bark.
White Willow Bark Extract 15%-98% Salicin effective cold curing supplement White
Willow Bark Extract 1.
Salicin elicits bitterness like quinine, when consumed.
Alkaline cleavage of the glucoside populin produces benzoate and Salicin.
(The bark from the willow tree- Salix Alba-
contains high levels of Salicin, the glycoside of salicylic acid.).
Salicin is closely related in chemical make-up to aspirin.
When consumed, the acetalic ether bridge is broken down.
Although Aspirin's existence only dates back over a hundred years or so,
its active ingredient, Salicin, had been used for many centuries to alleviate pain
and fever.
As effective as it was, willow bark and Salicin were used sparingly because the taste was vile and,
more importantly, its use had a tendency to cause a severe upset stomach, and in extreme cases could even damage it.
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 compound in its pure state.