Aspirin: Testimonials, And Questions Answered

[jyb]

From earlier in the thread Peatarian said she discards the water and only eats the white solids.
I don't know for sure where the aspirin is - I haven't yet found a clear explanation anywhere online.

I did notice that, yesterday I was very careful to only drink the water and none of the solids, but I then didn't notice any effect of the aspirin. Today I drank the solids and felt that good aspirin feeling. Could be a coincidence. Either way I'd like to know for certain where the aspirin is! What is known is that aspirin is insoluble in water, and maybe that's enough of an answer

I assumed the white residue to be the starch and talc. And maybe some aspirin too, if it wasn't dissolved due to water not hot enough, so there might have been more aspirin among the residue than the water. I'd like to just pour some boiling water to be sure its dissolved, but I need to know if such temperature would damage the acid.

 

[Beebop]

I use a little bit of boiling water to disintegrate the tablet. But I'm now questioning the idea that there is any aspirin in the water at all. If anyone's got some sources of information (either way - aspirin in or out of water) I'd appreciate it.

jyb the white residue probably also does contain the talc (sadly). Not sure about the starch.

 

[AdamCapriola]

I would say the aspirin is dissolved in water; the white part is the starch.

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Ch ... properties

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) decomposes rapidly in solutions of ammonium acetate or of the acetates, carbonates, citrates or hydroxides of the alkali metals. ASA is stable in dry air, but gradually hydrolyses in contact with moisture to acetic and salicylic acids. In solution with alkalis, the hydrolysis proceeds rapidly and the clear solutions formed may consist entirely of acetate and salicylate.

Basically what that means aspirin hydrolyses with moisture (i.e. water) to form acetic acid (i.e. vinegar) and salicylic acid (i.e. the same medicinal component of willow tree bark), but the reaction happens even more rapidly in a solution of certain alkali metal compounds (i.e. baking soda AKA sodium bicarbonate).

Dissolving aspirin with a small bit of baking soda thus might be smart, but probably isn't necessary.

Also, anyone recommending willow tree bark over aspirin I don't think understands that they're pretty much the exact same thing. Only difference is a biproduct of vinegar (and a lighter wallet).

 

[AdamCapriola]

Sorry for the double post, but I was reading a little bit more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin#Pharmacokinetics

Salicylic acid is a weak acid, and very little of it is ionized in the stomach after oral administration. Acetylsalicylic acid is poorly soluble in the acidic conditions of the stomach, which can delay absorption of high doses for eight to 24 hours. The increased pH and larger surface area of the small intestine causes aspirin to be absorbed rapidly there, which in turn allows more of the salicylate to dissolve. Owing to the issue of solubility, however, aspirin is absorbed much more slowly during overdose, and plasma concentrations can continue to rise for up to 24 hours after ingestion.

It's saying that ASA (i.e. aspirin) has poor solubility in the stomach. I'm just speculating, but maybe that is part of the gastrointestinal bleeding issues for some people? I also don't know if there is any difference in aspirin's positive effects on the body, whether you take a tablet whole or first dissolve it in water (and possibly baking soda).

The Wikipedia article also mentions taking aspirin with vitamin C to mitigate its adverse gastrointenstinal effects, but again I'm not sure if the issues are caused by taking pure aspirin or the salicyclic acid itself.

Regardless, a preventative measure might be to dissolve aspirin in a small bit of water and baking soda then dump the solution into orange juice. I know Danny Roddy mentions boiling aspirin then mixing it with a half gallon of OJ.

Peat says that "The stomach develops a tolerance for aspirin over a period of a few days, allowing the dose to be increased if necessary." So maybe it isn't as pertinent to dissolve it. I'm not sure what his reference is on that though.

So... dissolving it into OJ and throwing it into baking soda/epsom salts baths are probably safest (as far as gastrointestinal care is concerned). I have no idea about topical absorption though, and I'd guess ingesting it is more potent.

 

[Jenn]

From personal experience, aspirin definitely helps with re-stimulating stomach lining.

 

[Philomath]

Yes. I tried to find pure aspirin powder, but only find one for horses , so I've decided to buy with starch.

Why not use the Horse aspirin? You can buy it on Amazon - One pound of pure acetylsalicylic acid for $6-$10. Of course it comes with all the cautions and scare tactics to keep it out of the hands of thinking people. I believe I'm going to give it a try.

Acetylsalicylic Acid
Active Ingredients:
Each pound contains:
Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) – 454 grams

They also have flavored aspirin as well: Acetylsalicylic Acid Aspirin 226,573 mg Sucrose q.s. Apple Flavor q.s

 

[Jenn]

The only drawback to animal aspirin is the crystals are large and may not dissolve well, if taken directly. You really need HOT water to get them to dissolve in a reasonable time frame.

 

[chris]

I've seen many places recommend people with asthma not to use aspirin. Does anyone know why?

 

[sladerunner69]

I started peating about 6 weeks ago. I'm 20 yrs and currently soldiering through post-finesteride syndrome (systemic androgenic insensitivity), which I've oh so slowly been recovering from for 2 years. I read up on the supposed benefits of aspirin, and thought it would be a good fit because of it's aromatase inhibiting effects. So I started working up about a month ago. Last week I was up to 3-5 325 mg pills, dissolved in water and taken with food. Also about 1mg of vitamin k per day, was the biggest dose I could find in town. I began to experience a perpetual nausea throughout the day/night. I stopped the aspirin immediately, but within a day I was experiencing the most intense diarrhea of my 18 years of life+2. I mean I was on the toilet more than I was off, and couldn't eat or drink anything without my bod tear-assing it the heck through me. It was also immensely painful, and that's coming from a dude who knows his hurt >_<. It lasted almost a week, and I got to say the pain was becoming so bad and constant that the thought of throwing in the ol' rag crossed my mind more than once. My guts are better now, and as long as I stay away from caffeine I don't the runs. I'm just glad I didn't do any explicit permanent damage. Moral is aspirin isn't right for everyone, especially those of us who have sensitive or volatile systems.

 

[Jenn]

When I worked up to 3-5 per day it was over the course of a year or 2, not a month. Just saying....

 

[sladerunner69]

I'll admit that does sound a whole lot more sensible. But I've read that building up a tolerance only takes a few weeks. Heck, Droddy claims he was taking a few thousand mgs when "first starting out" without any serious problems. I tried a half tablet (dissolved) the other day and had bad nausea and loose stools. I also think coffee might be exasperating my symptoms, contrary to Peat's speculation that caffeine may strengthen the stomach/intestinal lining.

 

[Jenn]

Your tolerance is going to depend on your own starting point. We don't all start at zero....some of us have been running in the negative numbers for awhile...

Coffee aids the liver with detox. Diarrhea is the body's way of getting rid of toxins RIGHT NOW.
Nausea can be an indicator of an irritated stomach lining. You may want to predissolve it in milk or something....or stick to OJ and ACV.

 

[Mittir]

I've seen many places recommend people with asthma not to use aspirin. Does anyone know why?

It is because of "Samter's Traid". Here is a wiki description.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin-induced_asthma

If you have adult onset of asthma or nasal polyps or Rhinitis
most doctors will tell you to avoid Aspirin and NSAID.
It is just a general precaution they take to avoid
possible bad reaction, which can be fatal too.
But, it can be easily diagnosed if you have multiple symptoms of this triad.
If You see a specialist they are more like to confirm if you
really have a regular asthma or Aspirin induced asthma.
Just taking a half of baby aspirin or an ibuprofen can land you
in hospital. But one of the treatment of this disease is
aspirin desensitization, where you start with a very small dose
of aspirin, say 10 mg and slowly increase until you get symptoms
and then you stay on that dose.
For some strange reason, not many doctors recommend desensitization.
Safest approach is to start with small dose.

 

[Ari]

Anyone have any thoughts as to the difference between

A) Taking aspirin (salicylic acid + acetic acid)

or

B) Eating lots of fruit and taking vinegar (salicylic acid from fruit, acetic acid + malic acid from vinegar)

Can I get the benefits of aspirin without having to take it?

 

[kiran]

Can I get the benefits of aspirin without having to take it?

It's a little more complicated than that. You can't expect to ingest A and B and expect them to react within the body. There's many other reactions going on at the same time. So just take your aspirin*.

*As long as you can tolerate it.

 

[Ari]

Could you elaborate? I think there is some slight confusion

 

[macaroot]

I just wanted to chime in with my aspirin experiences.

I notice nothing but benefits from taking it. I feel like I can breathe more deeply, I feel more relaxed and calm, and I just feel more overall balanced with 1-2 aspirin, dissolved in water every day, or as needed.

For me, dissolving the aspirin in warm water (and not drinking the leftover starch at the bottom) was very important. When I tried popping aspirin tablets, I was almost doubled over in pain with extreme stomach pains. When I started dissolving the aspirin, nothing but benefits. Major benefits, at that.

I was very, very against aspirin when I first read Ray Peat writing about it. I said this is crazy! But, I trusted in the man's genius, and I have noticed better effects from aspirin than ANY other supplement I've ever taken. Including some ridiculous ones, like $60 per bottle probiotics, and such.

Sugar was another one. I said white sugar?? This is insane! But when I put sugar in my coffee, it stops the anxiety I used to get from it. And when I put it in my milk or OJ, it tastes better, so I feel like it digests better because it stimulates more salivary enzymes because of the additional sweetness.

Ray Peat is the man. I think the people that are failing on his approach are doing a lot of things incorrectly.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Hear hear

 

[charlie]

Oldie but goodie...

"Aspirin is coming to be widely accepted as an anticancer agent, and at moderate doses can cause cancer cells to die. It, like progesterone and thyroid, has a wide variety of anti-estrogenic effects. Especially when a tumor is painfully inflamed, aspirin’s effects can be quick and dramatic. However, people aren’t likely to be pleased if their cancer doctor tells them to “take aspirin and call me in six months."

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1287

 

[Giraffe]

"... people aren’t likely to be pleased if their cancer doctor tells them to “take aspirin and call me in six months."

... and don't forget to supplement vitamin K if you take more than a baby aspirin a day...