ABSTRACT

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used frequently to treat mild to moderate pain and have been shown to be most effective in treating pain related to muscle ache, headache, dysmenorrhea, toothache, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Natural products, such as willow bark, that contain salicylates have been used for pain relief for more than 3,500 years (Vane, 2000; Warner & Mitchell, 2002). Many NSAIDs used today (e.g., aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen) are available as over-the-counter products. An estimated 100 million prescriptions for NSAIDs are written by clinicians in the United States each year, and the use of over-the-counter NSAIDs may be as much as seven times higher (Jouzeau et al., 1997). Currently, more than 30 million Americans use prescription or over-the-counter NSAIDs regularly (Singh, 2000).