Aspirin celebrates its 100th anniversary

"For many people, aspirin is just a widely used drug. But for me, it is a miracle," said Özlem Çetiner, a 29-year-old English teacher in Istanbul, who said that she has been using aspirin since she was a little girl.

Aspirin was first synthesized by the German chemist Felix Hoffmann in 1897 while he was working for the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co.

Although the drug was patented by Bayer two years later in 1899, it was in October 1915, exactly 100 years ago, when the drug was launched to the markets in tablet form without any prescription.

According to Çetiner, aspirin is not only used to treat pain, fever and inflammation. "Believe me, I have used aspirin to even heal my pimples or to boost my plants and flowers," she said.

The most common drug found in medicine cabinets, desk drawers or jacket pockets, aspirin has a much older tale, as one of its ingredients has been used since the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.

According to the records left by Greek physician Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, the use of powder made from the leaves of willow – a key ingredient in aspirin – had the ability to heal aches and fevers even in ancient times.

Aspirin has its fair share of fans in Turkey. There are even Turkish expressions mentioning the drug such as "Aspirin gibi her derde deva olmak" (Heal-all like an aspirin).

Halil Tekiner, a pharmacy professor at Erciyes University in the central province of Kayseri, wrote in an article titled "Reflections of Aspirin in Turkish Literature" that the drug hit the Turkish market in 1923, though its reputation had preceded it. According to Tekiner, aspirin suffered from a decline in popularity in Turkey from the 1960s to the 1990s due to the entrance of new analgesics into the market. "However, the 1990s marked a peak in aspirin's popularity, as new research suggested its previously unknown benefits," Tekiner wrote.

"Daily aspirin therapy is actually becoming a trend among people today," said Özlem, adding that she takes it every day to prevent breast cancer.

Throughout various studies conducted worldwide over the years, aspirin has been proven to prevent some of the deadliest human ailments, such as heart attacks, strokes, lung, breast and colon cancer, migraines and Alzheimer's disease.

A study of 14,000 cancer patients in the Netherlands in 2015 showed that regular aspirin use can double the life expectancy of cancer patients, while another study by the American Heart Association revealed the same year that people with a high risk of a heart attack should take a low dosage of aspirin daily.

Furthermore, "the world's largest clinical trial," funded by Cancer Research U.K. and the country's National Health Service (NHS), is set to begin in the U.K. to determine whether taking an aspirin every day helps to prevent cancer. The study will include 11,000 patients over 12 years.

However, according to scientists, daily aspirin therapy can be a lifesaving option, but it is not for everyone. "Aspirin can cause serious complications in people with other medical conditions such as asthma or hemophilia – a bleeding disorder," explained Mahmut Sahin, a cardiology professor at Ondokuz Mayis University in the northern province of Samsun. "Aspirin is the most famous drug in medical history. But, all drugs contain an active compound and you cannot know if it would be good or harmful to your health without asking a doctor. You could even have a serious allergic reaction," Sahin added.

BURCU ARIK