Picture of 9 Unusual Uses for Aspirin

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Step 1: Heart attack mitigation

Picture of Heart attack mitigation
If you're feeling a bit of a heart attack coming on, pop some aspirin and dial 911. (Or your local emergency number.)

The aspirin has an anti-clotting effect that inhibits platelets from doing their little plateletty jobs. You know, hanging out together in large groups, getting rowdy, and creating thromboses. This is perfect for those occasions when you're on the verge of death due to an unplanned cardiac episode.

According to the American Journal of Cardiology, chewing the aspirin has a more immediate effect than washing the pills down with a cool glass of water. So that's good to know. Especially if you're a man over 50 with less plaque on your teeth than in your arteries.
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SanoberS21 hours ago

Will it really work perfectly?

gillianb120 days ago

Not really an organic gardener's dream as aspirin is not organic. However, you can make an organic version using willow bark to get the same active ingredient, salicylic acid

-max-3 years ago
so asprin + sulfuric acid -> vinigar? cool
jhardiman -max-3 months ago

uh-mmm. Aspirin = Acetylsalicylic acid = C9H8O4, sulphuric acid = H2SO4 , Vinegar is Acetic acid = CH3COOH ... really? I'm no chemist (at least, not for the last 50 years!) but I don't understand this reaction. Where does the sulphur go?

TylerR3 jhardiman2 months ago

Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is formed by a condensation reaction of salicylic acid and acetic acid, in which a molecule of water is removed from this reaction. Problem is, the water readily reacts with the aspirin again to create salicylic acid and acetic acid back over again, and this continues indefinitely, so no one reagent can ever be removed. However, in many undergraduate programs in colleges, salicylic acid is reacted with acetic anhydride, where the acetic acid part bonds with the salicylic acid to make aspirin, and the remaining molecule is acetic acid. In this case, sulfuric acid is used as a catalyst to start the reaction. Adding water to aspirin will cause what was described before, a mixture of 3 reagents that don't stop switching between eachother because no one molecule is more desirable to the system than another.

In the case of the car battery, what happens is that the sulfuric acid is an acid, and acids donate protons to start reactions. This is how acids are corrosive, because they very easily give up that hydrogen they have, which attacks certain groups in molecules and breaks them down. In this case, the hydrogen from the sulfuric acid attacks a bond and releases the acetic acid group from the aspirin molecule instead. The sulfur will bond to something else, whatever it can, to stay stable. In organic chemistry, oftentimes molecules are forgotten or not included in equations because any compounds they make are not relevant to the reaction itself.

It's also probably from the fact that in water, acids decompose into ionic forms, surrounded by water molecules due to the polar nature of the ions and the dipole nature of the water molecules themselves(the oxygen atom has more electrons than the two hydrogens combined, and is polar in the direction facing away from the hydrogens). Thus the hydrogens from sulfuric acid form H3O+ instead of H2O, and so when the hydrogens leave this molecule, you're left with water.

tl;dr In organic reactions, atoms that don't react don't matter to the equation.

moose2good4 years ago
Actually, falling asleep with an enema-bag full of sterile water in your whose-your-daddy will fight the hangover the best! Jes' be careful not to roll over too much, as the smell and clean-up will definitely attenuate the hangover....

Do you mean retaining an enema while sleeping? I don't think you can do this.

catkinson543 months ago

My daughter was working on becoming a materials engineer. Really enjoyed, but came down with Fibro, and the stress was too much, had to switch majors.

bo88y1 year ago

#1 Cayenne pepper is also good to have on hand for a heart attack. Two teaspoons, if you can get it down.

ibwebb1 year ago

I didn't know this about the battery. When I was still working in the Auto Body repair field there was an older guy that answered the phones. Never had a lot to say, but when he did it seemed like something really important. Anywho, he taught me that Epsom Salt will bring a dead battery back to life for a little while, but only in the ones you can open the cells to. Honestly, I don't think I have seen one that opens up in years.

I have done a lot of research on aspirin as a facial treatment, so I'd like to add a couple things:
For those that use this method: It's a great treatment, but DON'T use it too often if you want to keep using it. Your skin can build up a tolerance to the aspirin, and make the treatment cease to be effective. This is good to help calm skin in emergencies, but not on a regular basis.
ALSO, Salicylic Acid (asprin) makes your skin more susceptible to sunburns. if you are going to use this treatment, use sunscreen as well.

For face masks like dollgrownup suggested, you can dissolve one or two (depending on the size) uncoated aspirin in some aloe or honey . Aloe moisturizes and soothes skin, where honey has natural antibacterial properties. Combined with the aspirin, which has anti-inflammatory properties (duh), and exfoliating properties, it makes a great mask to help sooth skin and fight acne. Just remember to use sunscreen when being out in the sun after using this treatment.
I have also read rumors about "aspirin burns" due to aspirin used on the skin. It is always a good idea to test whatever you are using on a small area of skin to make sure you do not react.
Aspirin is used in a lot of store bought face washes and whatnot, but there are certain risks involved in making your own mask that you might want to look up if you are in the least bit concerned.
CatArt1012 years ago
I actually work at AAA answering road service calls, and I may have to suggest this to my customers. Lol.
Mig Welder3 years ago
Basically, this (and your barf one) is my all-time favorite Instructable. Also, you are my favorite Instructable author. The sense of humor, usefulness, and diverse vocabulary, all coupled with correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation makes for a winning Instructable. Finding people on the internet that know how to spell is oh so difficult.
I learned a bit and had some good laughs while reading your 'ibles.
wilgubeast (author)  Mig Welder3 years ago
Thanks MW. I'm working on unusual uses for disposable diapers right now, and it should come out by the end of the week. Or simply a week. The article is somewhat in question.
nsmith13 years ago
And how about shaving in the shower while the aspirin does it's job.
koldham3 years ago
car battery's are 12 volt. peeing on it wont hurt you, it might short out the battery tho.
LogM8134 years ago
Best hangover cure is weed. Don't say it isn't if you haven't tried it.
No, not even close... If anything, weed makes it worse. No offense, but please know what you're talking about before suggesting something as ridiculous as that.

The best cure for hangover is not going overboard with your drinking, if you must get trashed, drink quality liquor instead of the cheap $10 bottle of vodka... The reason you have hangovers is due to the way the liquor was distilled, lower quality liquor is usually only distilled once, so there's still methanol left in the final product after the distillation process, which is what causes hangovers... Higher quality liquors are distilled multiple times (usually 4-5 times, but some have been known to be distilled up to a dozen times) to further reduce the amount of methanol left after the distillation process, and therefore the higher quality liquor is less prone to cause hangovers...

If you must drink cheap booze, drinking lots of water throughout the night and eating a couple slices of bread before you go to bed helps avoid or reduce the intensity of your hangover in the morning as well
The medical benefits of marijuana have only recently been realized...
As a lifelong migraine sufferer (albeit, slightly different than a hangover...) I've use weed as a pain reliever, and as a preventative. It's been found to have so many medical benefits - right down to relief of irritable bowel whose really to say that it might not work for hangovers? Until unbiased medical studies are done, no one can attest to that.
Hangovers are caused by dehydration/Fusel oils. There's less fusel oils in higher quality liquors due to more distillation cycles. Darker liquors have more fusel oils (they purposely leave them in whiskey to give it taste) whereas vodka their going for just ethanol and water. According to scientific studies marijuana reduces nausea and dulls headaches. So yes it is effective to reduce a hangover.
That's new information for me and I am not a chain drinker of liquor but I would like to know what liquors are considered higher quality liquors??. Thanks. AL.
Ndawg m1ndtr1p4 years ago
I disagree, weed is a great cure for hangovers. I've used it many time.

That being said, If you have the 'spins' at all, weed will just make you spin more and eventually throw up.

At least this is what I've found to be true.
Smoke weed everyday.
weed?your'e using a drug to get rid of the side effects of a drug. That's like shooting into a bullet wound to get the bullet out
Aspirin is a drug too.
Sorry i meant a drug with negative effects to get rid of a drug with negative effects
Aspirin can have some rather serious negative side-effects, including:
1) gastritis : irritation with possible bleeding in the stomach
2) make a disease-based or drug-induced 'anti-coagulant' state into a serious problem.
3) make worse a cerebral bleed type of stroke
4) cause gout (as it competes with uric acid for the kidney's method of ridding your body of uric acid (urate). So, the urate increases and in some individuals gout can onset.

I'm not aware of anything ingested that can't have any negative side-effects ... yes, including food and water!
tverma tkjtkj3 years ago
too much water is a very bad thing.
weeds not bad
and weed makes you thirsty, so you drink more water. Haven't tried the aspirin, but a 32 oz powerade helps me every time!
jooijen LogM8133 years ago
the best cure for a hangover is...... to keep drinking lol!!!
mattyfu LogM8134 years ago
It cures the nausea and makes drinking a ton of water more likely.
wilgubeast (author)  mattyfu4 years ago
A bit on the expensive side, as the aspirin will only set you back about $1.29 for 100 325mg tablets whereas weed is often a bit more expensive. Even assuming a bottle of aspirin will last you 25 hangovers max (4 pills/hangover), the price differential is astronomical. Aspirin is also more convenient. In California, you can get aspirin over the counter, even without a medicinal use card.
15zhangfra3 years ago
so does aspririn restore blonde hair color, or does it somewhat bleach your hair? i have a dandruff problem and i'm thinking of using aspirin to get rid of it, but i'd hate for my hair to get bleached (i have black hair and any amount of bleaching will look odd and lead to funny scenarios....)
wilgubeast (author)  15zhangfra3 years ago
No bleaching effect, especially since you'd only leave it on for about 2 minutes.
Phoghat3 years ago
For a hangover, besides the aspirin, take some high dose of a B-Complex tablets (usually known as b 100, a 100mg of each of the B vitamins), and drink something with a bit of salt like V8 or Clamato juice. Alcohol really depletes the B vitamins and drinking causes dehydration. You have to replace those electrolytes and water to feel better fast!
taria3 years ago
I got number 10 for yeah if no ones already mentioned it. drop an aspirin in with cut flowers and it extends the life of the flowers a bit longer. I do it all the time.

just thought id share...:)
jibblesmgee3 years ago
The only truly safe cure for hangovers is to quit drinking... but you'll still need an asprin once in a while. This is a nice instructable, I learned alot!
YESSSSS! agreed. Quit drinking. Or if you do... 1 or 2 is enough alcohol is a drug not a hydrating drink...dont even get me started on how bad soft drinks are for you!
codongolev4 years ago
even more bonus points if you think to use urine to heat the battery.

negative points, though, if you forget that it's a battery you're peeing on and shock yourself.
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