[triumphant values]

Aspirin (salicylic acid) comes from willow bark. The willow’s scientific genus is ‘salix’. The “castoreum” oil from a beaver’s anal glands therefore does CONTAIN some salicylic acid because their diet is heavy in willow bark. But, to the best of my knowledge, nobody ever used the oily secretions from a beaver’s anal glands to cure a headache.

I read in an old (and I mean like early 20th century) medical journal how beaver gland oil was used in some late 18th and 19th century patent medications as a topical pain killer.

[PENANCE]

Thank you. My skull is basically wall-to-wall trivia, with just a few bits of applicable knowledge here & there; so I love little tidbits of information like that. I have a couple of degrees but I remember almost nothing that I allegedly “learned” in getting them. But the piece of information you just gave me will probably stay with me until I die.

Makes me wonder what the he11 college was for.