When you start making plans for SHTF, you’re bound to include some essential medicines.
And, in preparation for the headaches to come, aspirin may well be top on your list.
But you may not realize that aspirin has uses far beyond relieving your sore head.
This is one item that no prepper or survivalist should underestimate.
History of Aspirin
The use of aspirin isn’t new to our society. Or, rather, some form of it has been in use for millennia.
As far back as 2500 BC, our ancestors used willow leaves or bark as medicine for aches and pains.
Our grandfathers ascribed willow leaf tea to women as a way of easing the pain of childbirth.
Related: How To Make Aspirin From Willow Bark
Of course, it wasn’t until the 19th century that scientists understood what made these natural remedies so effective.
Willow contains a natural form of salicylic acid, and it is this compound that holds its medical properties.
It was the pharmaceutical company Bayer that patented the process of adding an acetyl group to salicylic acid so as to make it less irritant. In 1899 Bayer named the result – acetylsalicylic acid – “aspirin”.
Understanding the properties of aspirin is the first step to understanding why it’s important that you have your own stock of this cheap, readily available tablet in your supplies.
Both for its use in a medical emergency, as well as for other survival needs.
Aspirin as Medicine
Aspirin is most widely known as a drug to reduce pain, fever and inflammation. It is quick acting, easily found in most drugstores and cheap.
In US Pharmacies, a supply of 36 tablets costs around $10. It is also available as enteric-coated tablets or in gel form.
But aspirin has properties that take it beyond pain relief and anti-inflammatory uses, making it a go-to tablet for both medical and household needs.
Aspirin for Fever, Cold and Pain
- For fever and muscle aches, the anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin can reduce swelling and pain. The recommended dose is one or two 300mg tablets every 4-6 hours, not exceeding 12 tablets in 24 hours.
- A severe toothache can be treated by applying crushed aspirin directly to the swollen gum for 10-15 minutes. The medicine will be absorbed directly into the inflamed tissue and have a rapid effect on the local inflammatory hormones.
- For a sore throat, one tablet of aspirin taken will start to relieve the symptoms within a few hours. Some people recommend gargling with dissolved aspirin in water for a sore throat, but the research on this is inconclusive.
- Treat mouth ulcers with aspirin gel or make your own paste by crushing aspirin tablets in a little water.
Aspirin for Heart and Stroke
You may have heard that aspirin is a blood thinner. This means that it reduces the blood’s ability to form clots.
If the body is prone to forming clots when it shouldn’t, those clots can get stuck in small blood vessels and cause a heart attack or stroke.
If a patient is at risk of forming blood clots, a doctor might prescribe aspirin long-term, to help thin the blood and reduce the blood’s tendency to produce clots.
Additionally, studies have found that aspirin given shortly after a heart attack decreases the risk of death, as it supports the body’s attempts to dissolve the clot that is causing the heart attack.
It is important not to self-medicate with aspirin pre-emptively if you are not at particular risk of heart attack or stroke. Recent guidelines have clarified that healthy people shouldn’t use this medicine daily as a form of preventing cardiovascular disease.
Aspirin for Skin Emergencies
- Aspirin can be used to remove warts. The salicylic acid in aspirin dissolves the substance that makes skin cells stick together, and ultimately dissolves the wart. Apply a paste of crushed aspirin with a little water directly to the wart and cover with a Band-Aid. Repeat for several nights until the wart comes away.
Crushed aspirin can be mixed with talcum powder to produce a homemade antifungal powder to keep an athlete’s foot at bay.- Aspirin can be used in cases of severe sunburn, to reduce the pain and help the damaged skin heal quicker. Make an aspirin paste by crushing a few tablets of aspirin and adding water. Then, apply it to the sunburnt areas.
- Aspirin is not recommended for treating everyday wounds. However, it can be an emergency treatment for chronic wounds like diabetic ulcers. This way, it limits the inflammatory reaction of the skin that prolongs the wound.
It is important to note that aspirin is not recommended for emergency treatment of burn wounds, as its blood-thinning properties can make bleeding at the burn site worse.
Related: 9 Natural Remedies To Heal Wounds Faster
Take a different anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, to help control the pain and inflammation from a burn.
Aspirin is also no longer recommended to treat insect bites. Research has found that applying ice to inflamed skin after an insect bite is more effective than using ice and aspirin together.
Survival Uses of Aspirin
Aspirin in a Car Emergency
If you find yourself with a flat car battery in an emergency, a dozen aspirin tablets may just save the day.
Use a screwdriver to lever open the six cells of your car battery. Then, crush two tablets of aspirin into each cell. Top up the battery with distilled water.
The acetyl-salicylic acid in aspirin reacts with sulfuric acid in the battery to form acetic acid, which can get a final boost from the battery to get your car going.
While this technique is a good standby for an emergency, in the long-term it may shorten the life of your car battery.
Aspirin in the Garden
One surprising use for common aspirin is to help with keeping your plants safe and thriving.
Growing your own food is an important part of being self-sufficient and aspirin can help improve germination rates and make your plants more hardy.
Soaking your seeds in a simple recipe with a teaspoon of cinnamon for an hour or two can impart benefits to the plants as they grow.
Alternatively, watering your seeds or cuttings with this mixture may be sufficient to give similar results.
As your plants grow bigger, spraying them with dilute aspirin in water can help fight fungus and keep pests at bay.
Aspirin for Cleaning
A solution of aspirin in water can also be used for cleaning away grease and grime in a similar way to vinegar.
But with the advantage that aspirin tablets take up a fraction of the storage space.
Aspirin tablets can be used to remove stains from your clothes, without the heavy arm-work you might expect when doing laundry without electricity.
But aspirin’s use as a cleaning agent goes beyond esthetics. Left to soak for ten minutes, it can lift rust away from your metal tools, preventing the structural damage that occurs when the rust eats deeper into the body of the equipment.
Storing your Medicine
Now that you know why stocking up on aspirin is so important, it’s crucial that you store it adequately.
This medication has been shown to still be safe and effective for up to two years after the expiration date on the label. But only if it is stored in a way that keeps it from degrading.
Related: What Really Happens When You Take Antibiotics After Their Expiration Date
In particular, aspirin should be stored at room temperature between 59 – 86°F (15 – 30°C). The best option is to store it in a locked medicine box that protects it from light, moisture.
If you notice that your aspirin tablets look unusual in any way, do not take them as internal medicine.
However, they can still be used externally or for one of the survival uses listed above.
Don’t go overboard
As with any drug, aspirin should be treated with respect and used carefully. It is not recommended for children under the age of 16. Also, it should not be taken in combination with other anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen, as it can cause bleeding in the digestive tract.
Aspirin poisoning, or aspirin overdose, may happen accidentally either by taking an inappropriately large dose. Or by taking it regularly over a long time period without medical supervision.
The first symptom of an overdose is ringing in the ears or tinnitus. Other symptoms include hyperventilation, vomiting, dehydration and feeling faint. Untreated, aspirin overdose can lead to drowsiness and coma.
Be sure to keep some activated charcoal in your SHTF medicine box. Not only can you use it to treat an aspirin overdose, but it is also good at ridding the digestive system of a range of toxins and poisons. The charcoal compound binds to toxins and prevents them from being absorbed as they pass through your system.
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I really must take exception to you calling brand name aspirin “Tylenol “. That is a TOTALLY different drug, acetaminophen. Aspirin is ASA, and if you are giving $10 For 36 tablets, you are being robbed! ASA should not cost more than $4 / 100 tabs.
I see you quickly fixed your article. Thank you for being on top of that.
I was just about to write a comment saying Tylenol is Not aspirin when I saw someone already did! Whoever writes these articles should do more research on the subjects!
I buy my acetaminophen (but yes, I call it “Tylenol”) at Costco. 1000 tablets are $9.49, making it 95 cents per hundred.
I do keep aspirin around the house, but don’t use it. My wife does, along with Advil (ibuprofen), which is $9.99 per thousand.
Aspirin and Tylenol are two different medications. Tylenol is acetaminophen.
Tylenol is acetaminophen, not “aspirin”. Two different animals.
Tylenol is acetaminophen and aspirin is salicylic acid. Bayer is a better brand name to use Tylenol.
Tylenol is not aspirin. It is acetaminifen (excuse spelling errors). They are different compounds.
The statement ” Aspirin, commonly referred to by the brand name Tylenol, ” is incorrect.
They are different drugs. Tylenol is the brand name for Acetaminophen, known in other countries as Paracetamol.
“Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and Tylenol is an analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer).”
Aspirin formula = C 9 H 8 O 4 or CH 3 COOC 6 H 4 COOH or HC 9 H 7 O 4..
Paracetamol or Acetaminophen formula is = C8H9NO2 , its extended formula is HOC6H4NHCOCH3.
Please do be careful in your research.
Terrifically useful. Thanks so much.
I think you have a typo. Aspirin is not Tylenol. Tylenol is acetaminophen.
This is great information, though I will say that updated research has proven that aspiriin is not actually good for preventing blood clots nor for heart health. For blood clots, what is used in many other countries (instead of nasty prescriptions that can make you even more ill) is Nattokinase, which is an enzyme. Nattokinase has had many research articles written about it, showing how effective it is! My husband and I both take it religiously at this age! No side effects, except that when you give blood, it may take 30 seconds longer to get bleeding to stop…NOT a problem! Look it up and you will be VERY PLEASED! Our doctor actually “prescribed” Nattokinase for us both, and we have never looked back. 🙂 Great insurance that may help to help prevent strokes…
JES: Yes and no. It is no longer prescribed for folks who do not have a pre-existing cardiac condition as a preventative. However, it is still prescribed for folks who have hardware in their heart. If you have stents and/or a replacement valve, at least my cardiologist prescribes 83 grain aspirin along with other medications to reduce blood clotting capability.
As with any other medications, the doctor’s preference with regard to medications depends upon many factors and each doctor may have a different approach to the same problem.
Nattokinase sounds as if it is made from soybeans. The Japanese eat a dish of fermented soy beans called natto.
It is an acquired taste. If you didn’t start out eating natto from childhood you probably won’t start as an adult.
It is baby poop brown for starters. Secondly it is gooey with strings of brown goo hanging from the chopsticks or spoon. I have heard the taste described by others but have never been that adventuresome myself. My wife is Japanese and even she says natto is nasty.
Japanese nutritionists insist that natto is a very healthy item for your diet containing many essential nutrients. You are either a diehard natto fan or a natto hater. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground.
Aspirin is not Tylenol, nor is a brand name for it “Tylenol.” Tylenol is acetaminophen, not acetylsalicylic acid
Please correct this article. Aspirin is actually a brand name for acetyl salicylic acid (ASA), while Tylenol is a very different drug (acetaminophen). Tylenol is liver toxic and NOT an antiinflammatory agent. Aspirin inhibits platelets, protecting the heart but increasing bleeding and it is an excellent antiinflamartoy. These medicines are NOT interchangeable
Tylenol is NOT aspirin. Tylenol is PARACETANOL or ACETAMINOPHEN. At least in the US and Canada it is and I am pretty sure it is elsewhere. Some formulas with other ingredients added are also called APAP. No I am not a doctor but when I read this I knew immediately the statement that aspirin was known as Tylenol was wrong.
Thank you for the clarification to my previous comment. That is what I intended to convey: “Tylenol is acetaminefin. “
Tylenol is not aspirin.although both are nsaids. Tylenol is ibuprofen. Aspirin is referred to as aspirin.
Aspirin is NOT commonly known as Tylenol. They are 2 totally different medications.
correction: Tylenol is acetaminohen not ibuprofen. Sorry
Good info but Tylenol is NOT the same as aspirin. Tylenol is the brand name for Acetaminophen. Different chemical and does not have the same properties.
There are also studies that suggest a daily baby aspirin may reduce the rate of cancer, colorectal cancer in particular. This research is still underway.
I see you quickly fixed your article. Thank you for being on top of that.
I love aspirin. They’re my pain reliever of choice. I definitely have some stashed away. They’re hard to source right now, though. I’ve always bought them at the Dollar Tree….and once in a while….from the Dollar Tree. I hunted for them at three DT stores to no avail. Finally found a few bottles at Walmart.
I don’t believe Tylenol is acetylsalicylic acid. I have always known Tylenol as acetaminophen. Bayer is acetylsalicylic acid and Advil and Motrin is Ibuprofen, while Aleve is naproxen.
Tylenol is Acetominophen!!!! Which is totally different. I really like your articles and I have gained a lot of knowledge from them BUT PLEASE proof read or do more research because slips ups like this can hurt someone. I do thank you for the messages you are puting out there. God Bless.
My brother was 19 when he took aspirin for the flu and went into a coma that lasted several months, now known as REYES Syndrome. At the time, five major hospitals in New York City had no idea that aspirin could cause this near death experience.
Thank you for sharing this information with your readers.
A pharmacist told my brother that aspirin will smell like vinegar if it has gone bad.
Good to know the additional uses of aspirin… But for a pain-reliever, I’ll still continue making my own willow bark tincture (very easy–strip new-growth spring sprouts of their bark, cut up the bark, and place in a jar with vodka to cover. Let it sit for at least a month, then strain. Take 5-20 drops up to 4x/day.)
Also–for the use of aspirin for anti-clotting–bear in mind aspirin is highly scorbutic–it can actually cause low-level scurvy, the last thing you want to have if you’re dealing with SHTF, disease exposure, etc. If you take daily aspirin, also take at least 4000 mg of vitamin C daily.
Is it a typo when mentioning using a recipe with cinnamon to help germinating and growing plants? I don’t get ti.
Could you please write an article teaching not only the uses, but also how to use activated charcoal? I for one would appreciate that very much.
thanks in advance. 🙂
Sujoma: Dave
May 24, 11:08
Activated carbon is takes the normal charcoaling process additional steps to produce increased surface area over the standard charcoal.
Per Livescience.com,
“The charcoal powder is then typically charred with some additional material, such as chloride salts, to help create the porous structure, according David O. Cooney’s book “Activated Charcoal: Antidote, Remedy and Health Aid” (TEACH Services, Inc., 2016). The excess material is then washed away with a dilute acid solution to leave the pure carbon. The charcoal can further be treated to create a finer network of pores, and therefore additional surface area, by exposing it to an oxidizing gas, such as steam or carbon dioxide.
So much additional surface area is created during the activation process that 50 grams of activated charcoal (which is about the weight of 20 U.S. pennies) has 17.5 times more surface area than a full-size football field
geesh… yall are quick to jump on a feller for a type-o
everybody knows tylenol is not asprin, ya ant got to be so preachy
bet yall have messed up a time or three too…
I learned something new today that made it worth getting out of bed. From what I have learned about Nattokinase seems like I might have to start using it after I wean myself off of the Clopidogrel and cut back on the Metoprolol. It depends on what my Docs say. Which will probably you want to try something that is not approved by big Pharma? What are you a rebel or something?
Just in case no one mentioned it, aspirin is not Tylenol and Tylenol is not aspirin
Tylenol is an analgesic (pain reducer).
Aspirin is an NSAID (removes inflammation).
I thought $10 for 36 aspirin tablets was awfully high. I went on line and checked the modern version of the bazaar.
Aspirin on line from Amazon is considerably cheaper than $10 for 36 tablets. If you are paying that much you are getting ripped off and need to use another vendor. Aspirin is one of the cheapest drugs in the marketplace. I am talking about name brand, Bayer aspirin, not some unknown brand at the 99¢ store.
Excellent article illustrating the many uses of Aspirin. Some people are allergic to aspirin however and unfortunately are unaware until they take it. This happened to my wife a few years back and luckily we got to the ED on time…Scary. Otherwise it is valuable to know the many uses of Aspirin.
Aspirin is one medicinal that has a fairly short shelf life. It is easy to tell when aspirin has expired. It emits a very strong acidic odor. If you open the aspirin bottle and go “Whoa!” it is time to toss that bottle.
That said, I have found in coastal SoCal the shelf life of aspirin is easily three years past the Use By date on the bottle. That may vary widely depending on the climate where you live.
“Additionally, studies have found that aspirin given shortly after a heart attack decreases the risk of death, as it supports the body’s attempts to dissolve the clot that is causing the heart attack.”
The fire department in our small town probably respond to more medical emergency calls than fire calls.
I visit with the fireman pretty often.
I was told when a person shows signs of a possible heart attack they give 2 baby because it helps thin the blood.
Our daughter recently had an episode where she thought she was having a heart attack. When she got to the ER she was given 4 baby aspirin.
I was having TIAs once or twice a week. Scared me to death when they happened while driving. I casually mentioned it to my wife’s neurologist and she said to take an 81mg in the morning. Completely solved my issues.
Yes, they’re told to chew them up and drink a glass water. Goody’s powders have asprin, acetaminophen and caffeine. In a hurry, if you took two Goody’s with a Coke Cola chaser, it stops a headache in about 2 minutes, would probably save a life too.
Using aspirin on a car battery is actually pretty dangerous. It led to so many bad burns that a lot of batteries are now sealed to prevent people from doing stuff like this.
I believe car batteries are sealed to prevent loss of electrolyte, not to avoid the natural process of cleaning the gene pool.
Much thanks for all the great tips. niio
Just wanted to point out that a lot of people are allergic to aspirin. Obviously, if you know you are you won’t want to stockpile it except to use for a trade item or if others you know do take it. If you don’t know you are allergic, the symptoms are the same as those of an accidental overdose, and you can absorb enough topically to trigger a reaction. Salicytic acid is in a lot of over the counter skin treatments for acne and removing calluses, as well as other things.
I know this from my own personal experience.
Be sure to stockpile a variety of otc medicine, and be aware of the active chemicals in plant medicines before you take them or give them to others.
Aspirin should also NOT be given to children because it can trigger a condition called Reye’s Syndrome.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-kids-shouldnt-take-aspirin-770789
Great information and very useful article to print and keep.
To bad some folk don’t recognize a typo when they see one.
It’s strange that we haven’t had a rant from the Raven and
Illini Warrior crew. They never miss the chance to jump on
a mistake like a duck on a June bug
flamejane: I heard of doing that. Cinnamon is said to have the right amount of antifungal properties to help root cuttings, and as an antifungal likely helps keep seeds safe. niio
Aspirin is Tylenol? “In US Pharmacies, a supply of 36 tablets costs around $10.” Are you serious?
How do such articles get published? Alas, some people never see corrections.
Tjhe gross errors in this article are an example that one can find in too many web sites. The author reads a few other survival site articles, then attempts to re-write them in a way that avoids being accused of plagiarizing them, but without fully understanding the subject. Readers are then misled.
“Fun Fact:” Until the advent of aspirin that was developed by Bayer, the only commercially available pain reliever on the American market was laudanum, an opium-based pain reliever, and an addictive one at that. Were aspirin developed and introduced on the market today, it would be require a prescription to obtain. As it turned out, because its use and availability pre-dated FDA requirements, it was grandfathered.
I have tried a lot of mosquito bites remedies but this one tops all of them. The Aspirin/Wintergreen Alcohol Liniment is a lot more convenient to have on hand if your outside for along period of time or camping with friends and family.
Material and Ingredients needed:
* One bottle of 70% or higher wintergreen rubbing alcohol (got mine at Dollartree).
* 25 uncoated 325mg aspirins (also at Dollartree)
Add the aspirins to the bottle. I let mine sit for a few hours, shaking it when I walk by it until the aspirin dissolves. Shake before each use.
How to use: Soak a cottonball with the mixture and apply to bite. Repeat if needed. The bottle mixture will last for years.
Note: Aspirin shelf-life: Aspirin was found to be 90% effective at 28 to 40 years past expiration date!
Eight long-expired medications with 15 different active ingredients were discovered in a retail pharmacy in their original, unopened containers. All had expired 28 to 40 years prior to analysis. Three tablets or capsules of each medication were analyzed, with each sample tested 3 times for each labeled active ingredient.
Twelve of the 14 drug compounds tested (86%) were present in concentrations at least 90% of the labeled amounts, the generally recognized minimum acceptable potency. Two compounds (aspirin and amphetamine) were present in amounts of less than 90% of labeled content.
Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1377417
Video: Home remedies for bug bites & stings {Homesteading Hack}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Zi-hrp60w