Imagem: L'Illustration, dezembro de 1923/Wikimedia Commons.

Aspirina, um dos medicamentos derivados de plantas mais famosos, é frequentemente usado como analgésico (para aliviar pequenas dores e dores), como antipirético (para reduzir a febre) e como antiinflamatório. Adicionado a esta lista impressionante é um novo papel potencial na redução do risco de câncer, de acordo com o trabalho de Peter Rothwell e colegas (The Lancet 377: 31–41, 2011). O estudo – which covered some 25,000 patients, mostly from the UK – found that a small daily dose of aspirin substantially reduces death rates from a range of common cancers; patients who were given aspirin had a 25% lower risk of death from cancer during the trial period (and a 10% reduction in death from any cause) compared with patients who were not given the drug. The benefit in cancer reduction was found from a low daily dose of 75 mg. Aspirin is already known to cut the risk of heart attack and stroke among those at increased risk, but the protective effects against cardiovascular disease are thought to be small for healthy adults, and aspirin increases the risks of stomach and gut bleeds. But the latest findings suggest that aspirin’s benefits often outweighed its associated risk of causing bleeding in older individuals. However, this doesn’t mean that aspirin will counter any negative effects of taking marijuana!