Stories about the birth of 4 common drugs

Very familiar aspirin now comes from white willow. From about 4,000 years ago, the Egyptians used this plant to combat pain and other illnesses. However, until the end of the 19th century, new aspirin was officially born.

Willow was used by doctors from the past to cut the fever (Photo: legambientearcipelagotoscano) From 1550 BC, in the medical texts of the Egyptians mentioned the use of white willow leaves to fight the attacks. pain. Hippocrate, who is considered the grandfather of the medical world, also recommends decoction of willow bark for healing.

In 1763, the memoir of British pastor Edward Stone was published, in which the use of willow bark should be used to relieve malaria.

In 1829, pharmacist Pierre Joseph Leroux boiled willow bark powder, impurities, concentrated and obtained soluble crystals. He considered it a medicinal ingredient of willow tree so named salicine (salix: willow tree - Latin name). when the  try it at Hôtel Dieu Hospital, which cuts the fever even if it's a fever of any disease; but it has side effects that stimulate the mucosa, causing stomach pain.

Charles Frederic Gerhardt was the first to find a derivative of salicine. He named acetyl salicylic acid. It was later developed by the chemist Felix Hoffmann and developed by the researcher Anthur Eichengrun in clinical trials for the treatment of rheumatism. It has brought good results.

The results were tested and confirmed by Bayer (Germany). In 1899, the company registered the drug under the brand Aspirin. Drugs are sold and quickly dominate consumer confidence, increasing consumption volume.

After more than 100 years of circulation, aspirin is still a very popular drug due to simple fabrication, low cost and due to more and more people discovering its many effects: fever reduction, pain relief, anti-rheumatism, Anti platelet aggregation, helps prevent one

Aspirin (Photo: cbc)

number of cardiovascular diseases. Some scientists are testing the effect of preventing cancer cell growth of aspirin.

Every year, 50,000 tons of aspirin is produced in the world. Jor Ortega Spanish philosopher Onteja y Gasset called this era the 'age of aspirin'.

From documents in the ancient tomb to the artemisinin for malaria treatment

In the early 70s of the last century, Chinese scientists found some ancient texts when excavating famous ancient tombs in Wuhan. It is a document about the treatment of fever of leaves and wormwood branches, also known as artemisia annua. From that document, researchers found artemisinin found in these plants to treat malaria. Derived from artemisinin, scientists have synthesized a number of derivatives that promise a lot of potential for treatment.

Artemisinin and its derivatives destroy the malaria parasite by a chemical reaction that takes place when it comes into contact with the iron element that is abundant in this parasite. The reaction releases free radicals, destroys parasitic cell membranes. The drug is quite safe, does not cause any significant side effects with the usual dose. When combining artemisinin (or derivatives) with a synthetic anti-malarial agent, the disease can be cured faster and the parasite's resistance will be slower, the effectiveness of the disease can reach 95%.

Cancer cells also contain iron in relatively high concentrations. So people are experimenting with artemisinin to treat some cancers. It appears promising for bone and leukemia.

From the experience of Indians to quinine

Cinchona Tree (Photo: motherherbs)

According to the legend, the Countess of Chinchon, the wife of the Spanish Vice-King in Peru (South America), had malaria and was treated forever until she applied the traditional Indian method: taking the bark of a tree grows in the Andes slopes cooked with water to drink. After a few drinks, she recovered. When she returned to Europe (1640), the countess brought this tree and then the tree was named cinchona by Swedish scholar C. Lime, derived from her name.

Other legends claim that some Jesuits themselves learned the secret of Indian malaria in Peru. They brought bark, later called cinchona, from South America to Europe for treatment (1650).

Although the bark is very effective in treating malaria, there are still many oppositions for other religious reasons. 20 years later, this plant was recognized by the medical community as effective. And until 1820, Joseph Pelletier and Caventou, two Frenchmen, extracted alcaloid compounds from cinchona bark, named quinine, used to treat malaria.

From cactus to slimming pills

Hoodia Gordonii cactus
(Photo: hoodiadietpills)

The Bushmen tribe in the desert of southern Africa. The experience of father and son connecting them to know how to use xhoba trunk (scientific name: Hoodia Gordonii - family ascle piadacea) - a type of 1,80 m high cactus - to eat to fight hunger and to help with fatigue when having to pursue long-term wilderness hunting, no food was found.

From the traditional information source, the South African Council for Science and Technology Research in the 1990s plunged into studying the biological activity of plants. By June 1997, Phytopharm pharmaceutical company (UK) was granted a license to exploit and trade this plant to produce a slimming medicine called P57. Drugs that create satiety, side effects are almost negligible.

Dr. Pham Tiep