Make Aspirin if You're Lost in the Woods
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Lost in the woods with a headache? Make some aspirin!
If you're ever lost in the woods and have a really bad headache, you can make some aspirin. Steps
- Rip some bark off a willow tree.
- Start a fire.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Place willow tree bark for every into the boiling water. Use 1-2 tsp for every 8 oz of water.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Steep it as you would tea for 1/2 hour. This is basically aspirin - the chemical that aspirin is made of is found in the bark of willow trees.
- Drink the 3-4 cups daily
Warnings
- Don't use willow trees less than 50 feet away from a road. You could get sick if the willow tree isn't clean.
- Don't do this if you have stomach problems, because this variant (Salicylic acid) is more irritating than the aspirin you buy in a shop (Acetylsalicylic Acid).
- Side effects tend to be mild. However, gastrointestinal irritation and ulcers are potentially associated with all compounds containing salicylates. Overdoses of willow bark may cause skin rash, stomach inflammation/irritation, nausea, vomiting, kidney inflammation, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
- Children under the age of 16 should not be given aspirin or related products such as this one.
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