How Aspirin Changed Medicine Forever

[@pharmdiddy5120]

Coming from a pharmacist here... I really loved how thorough this was! You covered cyclooxygenase subtypes, prostaglandins, and newer research about other health benefits all while not using too much tech speak. Okay, now here's a challenge for you where do you stand on the 81 vs 162 mg a day thing? Is there ever a clinical situation where you would use over a hundred mg and not go right to 325?

[@madamhenry]

In the UK we use 75mg daily dose for secondary prevention long-term. In acute situations (Stroke/MI) we use a 300mg stat dose. Interesting how these things aren't internationally standardised!

[@Aboulsaud]

The common range is 75-100 and the 162 is no longer in use since the latest guidelines i read. As for the higher doses 300-325 they are used for induction in ACSs

[@Just_A_Dude]

So, semi-random related question: I was once told by a dentist, after a broken tooth, that mixing doses of ibuprofen and acetaminophen was safe and a good way to get stronger pain relief without stepping up to a narcotic. Doing so got me through the recovery without ever touching the prescription for oxy he gave me just in case, but what do you think of the advice?

[@michaellesak6912]

@@Just_A_Dude ive heard that you should alternate them and over lap, so instead of taking aspirin/ibuprofen/tylenol every 4-6 hrs you take a dose every 2-3 but alternate between aspirin/ibuprofen and tylenol. you stay within recommended doses for each while still getting more relief overall.

[@ShadowTetra]

kinda bummed that the selective COX-2 Inhibitor (celexocib etc) are not mentioned but still a good video!

[@LokiTheAnsuz]

I still remember when I was a 10 year old kid and during the family Christmas dinner I said aspirin was invented thanks to willow bark. Everyone laughed at me and said I was drunk (we give kids cider on Christmas). I was the Christmas joke for years to come... Turns out, I was right lol

[@TheTomBevis]

Nice! Willow bark is still used as a a medicine,and to produce aspirin. Being young and smart can suck, sometimes.

[@vladimirseven777]

Once I lost bet that Sun is the star (because obviously "Sun is the Sun"). You can't count on majority of people due to people are mostly dumb.

[@somefuckstolemynick]

The curse of being smart is having these kinds of disagreements with stupid adults.

[@WizardClipAudio]

Yeah. Well, I had a 6th grade teacher who went to her grave not believing me about Marshmallow, also being a plant in which the confection is named after,….

[@finnz7786]

Howd you know

[@zxwmabcdef5439]

my grandmother has an old newspaper advertising Bayer Cocaine, Heroin, and Aspirin. It says "When you have pain reach for Bayer Cocaine, Heroin, and Aspirin".

[@alistairproductions]

I want that

[@SunriseFireberry]

Heroin over the counter. History has had its low points, but some of the past was...incredibly high.

[@TGNXAR]

Ba DUM tsss.

[@montycantsin8861]

People really did have a coke and a smile back then. Maybe too much smile.

[@calichef1962]

The real kicker is that heroin was marketed as a safer, less addictive, medication than morphine.

[@ffarkasm]

@@calichef1962 And cocaine is originally a local anaesthetic. (This is the reason the other, chemically different local anaesthetics are also "-caines".) As far as I know cocaine is still used in certain countries in dentistry as a local anaesthetic.

[@Bob5mith]

Heroin™ is the brand name of diacetylmorphine. "She" was supposed to save people from morphine addiction, by altering morphine into a much more powerful drug. It's a schedule 1 drug like LSD and marijuana now. It can't be prescribed. Cocaine and methamphetamine are schedule 2. They can be prescribed. Cocaine is sometimes used for very specific local anesthesia purposes. Desoxyn® is the brand name for methamphetamine. www.rxlist.com/desoxyn-drug.htm

[@sebastianelytron8450]

I was aspirin' for a good SciShow topic today, not disappointed.

[@LaplacianFourier]

You should also aspire to make better puns🤣

[@abbieq11]

:-)

[@donielf1074]

That joke’s sure a bitter pill to swallow.

[@Bhatt_Hole]

Quite possibly the worst pun conceived by an adult, ever. Worse than many from children too. Even the ones afflicted with assburgers.

[@carissstewart3211]

I want to know which genius in the distant past first said, "Og have headache. Eat tree bark."

[@severdislike4222]

Its discovery was likely from mouth pain from a dead / rotting tooth. Easiest way to make someone try just about anything is severe mouth pain. Especially if they think it'll help.

[@RialuCaos]

I get the feeling that early humans just tried eating everything and the ones who survived shared their experiences.

[@wschippr1]

暗知能 I thought it was from them using branches for people to bite down on during medical procedures so they wouldn't break their teeth/bite their tongues. The people that used willow branches noticed that there was less pain. Or they just happened to get it right, let's not forget there's tons of folk medicine that doesn't have any clinical effect.

[@AvailableUsernameTed]

I suspect there was a 'Make Tea Out of Everything's craze shortly after the invention of ways to boil water. Willow bark tea then was discovered to be good.

[@MtnTow]

This is actually a topic i am very interested in because several things can only be ingested by humans if prepared in specific ways. Observation of animals would not give these clues away sometimes and actually if you just wandered around chewing random stuff, i promise you'd get sick before you got full.

[@NATOSAH2]

I never expected to be in my mid 30’s, sitting up at 4:30am watching a video about Aspirin- and totally ok with it.. Lol

[@mczenk5095]

Same here.

[@noraanivac1293]

Same

[@Acidlib]

Just read this comment at exactly 4:30am

[@WickedWildlife]

Video idea 💡 could you do a video on embryonic diapause in kangaroos! Several kangaroo species can mate the day after they give birth, but freeze the embryo at only a few cells in suspended animation as a backup if they loose the first joey

[@sebastianelytron8450]

Should have stopped after the exclamation mark. Now I know too much and am not looking forward to a SciShow explanation.

[@WickedWildlife]

Sebastian Elytron haha sorry mate, at least if they never get around to the video you have an idea about it

[@ChelseaJeanBentley]

Oooh this is incredible! Definitely need a video on this.

[@newyorker2581]

WHAT?! .... I'm intrigued.

[@um02122]

Yey, kangaroo sex.

[@Smart-Skippy]

Hank and the team.... You write and produce amazing mini docos ! You've come so far since your EcoGeek days !

[@douglas685]

Aspirin is still a game changer today; amazing how with all of the knowledge and medical advances the best headache medicine for me (by MILES) is Excedrin, which is simply a cocktail of 250mg of aspirin, 250mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol), and 65mg of caffeine. Aspirin alone works decently too, but nowhere near as well as the Excedrin cocktail. Still, incredible miracle drug.

[@coffee115]

This is the ONLY thing that worked for me. I want to hug whoever created it

[@czdaniel1]

The best-in-class drug for treating a given symptom is usually the oldest that's stuck _Note: my definition of drug-class may differ from your definition. For instance Tylernol & Aspirin are in two different drug classes even though they often get used for the same symptoms_

[@TheMoonsFinalityK423_]

Yeah it's because caffeine boosts the effects of the acetaminophen

[@lukewilkinson1470]

So much chemistry in this one, I love it!!!

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Superb video on aspirin. It may intetest viewers that the synthesis of aspirin has been a rather routine laboratory exercise for basic organic chemistry students for several decades. Native American Indians have had a long tradition of using Willow Bark in various preparations.

[@5urg3x]

Heroin was also a discovery by Bayer that was the product of acetylation. It’s acetylated morphine (diacetyl morphine). They discovered by simply acetylating morphine the result was a new molecule that was more potent; about three to five times, depending on who you ask.

[@johnopalko5223]

Heroin was not only supposed to be more effective than morphine, but less addictive. Well...

[@czdaniel1]

+NickK -- I just commented on that when he got to 6:30 and he didn't mention it. Maybe we had the same chemistry professor cause mine loved teaching the history

[@czdaniel1]

+@@johnopalko5223 -- Oh that old line again!! Hundred years later and pharma's still marketing that ol' claim that _their_ opioids aren't habit-forming safe _[cough, cough Oxy]_

[@Fuffzehn]

Wow this is one of the best videos you ever made imo. Keep up the awesome work!

[@lorettawilson7264]

This is a VERY educating video, for people like me, that has not taken Asprin for about 40 years....!!!!! Thank you for making this video.....

[@gman76able]

I could add so much to this video!!!! i have studied aspirin for years. Since i worked on the Spanish flu. people didn't die of the flu but asprin overdose, Reyes syndrome.

[@paulgeoffreybrown1]

This one? Among the best SciSchow videos, EVER. And that's saying a lot.

[@MtnTow]

Nice. Thank you. I want to see more food and medicine origin stories. Its fascinating to think about how we figured out so many ingestable things in their various forms.

[@Belboz99]

Fun fact, "Bayer" means" "Bavarian" in Bavaria (now a state of Germany).

[@barbarahouk1983]

@ Marcus Taber I am a retired physician (Psychiatry is my specialty). I really like organic chemistry and pharmacology. I enjoyed some of your comments. It was nice to learn acetaminophen changes and then comes in affecting the cannabinoid pain system. An old herb I ran across (reading Native American Information) is Wild Lettuce. This is a pain medication working on the dopamine receptors. I suspect by feedback with Serotonin it balances Substance P. The main cause of fibromyalgia is an imbalance of Substance P with Serotonin. This Wild Lettuce has been helpful with my fibromyalgia. Another cause of imbalance of Substance P and Serotonin is not enough magnesium. Far too many USA people are magnesium and iodine deficient. If these two minerals were corrected in many people, they would have much less trouble with their body/less pain. Nutrition is a much neglected subject in an AMA school (3 hours is all there is ; I did NOT SAY 3 credit hours, I literally mean 3 hours on one day! Disgustingly in my 3 hours I taught my dietician bc I was more updated than she! ) My educated advice is if you want a really good diet? Ask a chef or a body builder; they get better educated in diets than an AMA physician or a dietitian. This is the problem with government being involved (The government regulates real education out of education! Anything the government has to do with-> it begins to fail). Yes, I worked really hard getting around of the crap the government roadblocks just to get a good education all my educational life. It really was much extra work.

[@bssitsmmsunrr]

Very interesting, Barbara! I wonder if the active ingredient in wild lettuce has been isolated? Or maybe some alternatives?

[@AR-xw1fg]

Best SciShow presenter... nothing against the others but this guy is the best

[@melissawickersham9912]

The serendipity of scientific discovery is a wonderful thing.

[@johnopalko5223]

We synthesized aspirin in Chem 102. Salicylic acid + acetic anhydride. We also made polystyrene. Fun class! (We did a quantitative analysis on brandy once, but they wouldn't let us drink our unknowns.)

[@glippernittles]

Hank is my favorite host ! So funny and informative :D Keep being awesome Hank !

[@bruced.1472]

I have to wonder if Wohler shouted "Ureaka" when he discovered what he'd done.

[@BB1951]

Eureka. :)

[@CommanderSp00ky]

Έυρηκα *

[@alexwang982]

r/woooosh

[@justuspickle]

Man I haven't watched scishow in years. Need to start watching it again

[@ilovetotri23]

I have never had a heart attack. Nor do I have colorectal cancer. My doctor was me to be on low does aspirin. He feels that between my precancerous colon polyp and my unexplained vascular problem it would not hurt. As all drugs, aspirin, has pro's and con's. It is all about moderation. Great video!

[@xxNoFreeWillxx]

Fantastic Episode!! Well done SciShow Team!!

[@mollydugan6144]

Perfect timing, SciShow. My chemistry teacher told us we’ll be making aspirin on Tuesday!

[@MedicCamba]

Great video! You did talk about pharmaceuticals trying to find a cox-2 inhibitor but didn’t mention that they did. It’s called celecoxib.

[@FloozieOne]

This was a particularly interesting episode. Thanks for sharing it.

[@justwinks1553]

I can't get over the unit of measure known as the scruple. My day has changed

[@Beryllahawk]

Well done!!! And a better explanation than *anything* the heart surgeon told my husband... He takes low dose aspirin (among many other pills!) in the wake of having had multiple bypass surgery. Atherosclerosis leading to congestive heart failure...so NOW I understand, really, why the aspirin is involved. Thanks, SciShow! :D

[@ConstantChaos1]

I find myself rewatching these all the time

[@unicornswag888]

Next Up: How Anabolic Steroids Changed Muscle Hank Forever

[@pranavlimaye]

Faker.

[@1992ilikepie]

@@pranavlimaye welcome to the meme

[@geekfreak2000]

😭😂🤣

[@TheReZisTLust]

@@pranavlimaye that's not faker, he plays league

[@nitinshirke2544]

@@pranavlimaye pjiijuuuiu8

[@lauramanuel7619]

Yep it’s ongoing research to study the bleeding risk vs the therapeutic effect at various doses of aspirin. The ADAPTABLE trial is going on now at locations all across the United States.

[@moldoveanu8]

I learned more here than in a week of nursing school

[@lindseybeck5176]

I have the flu right now, thank you asprin for breaking my fever 💕💕 & thanks scishow for this video

[@larryhovekamp4318]

And aspirin might explain why my Grandma lived to 88 years old. She popped aspirin often to treat her severe arthritis she had throughout her adulthood. This permitted her to do farm work and probably prolonged her life.

[@coffee115]

I'm glad Aspirin managed to avoid being banned due to a rare disease it could trigger that caused hysteria in the 80s middle class. It was nuts!

[@BionicTenshi96]

Reye Sindrome?

[@disorganizedorg]

@@BionicTenshi96 That seems the right era. Were it not specific to children, I imagine that it might have been banned.

[@MysteryWaffles]

It carries a warning now that it's not to be used in children who have fever, due to the (tiny but still present) risk of Reye's syndrome.

[@Mega12AX7]

I love watching your videos they are very interesting and informative. About the colorectal thing and aspirin, taking aspirin didn't do a thing to keep me from getting colorectal cancer. Having arthritis for quite a while and always taking aspirin I still wound up with a tumor the size of a softball that had to be removed. That was no fun but keep up the good work👍

[@windhelmguard5295]

now this video explains the nosebleed i had a month ago. took like half an hour to get it to stop.

[@KJRico93]

If I remember right, in my very first lab in organic chemistry we synthesized salicylic acid.

[@SproingBoing]

Could you imagine if Heroin was still being used over the counter? You'd walk out of that pharmacy more wired than a french telegraph!

[@langreeves6419]

Interesting that after outlawing it and fighting its use with bullets and bombs....the addiction rates are about the same now as they were back when it was over counter. All the people killed and imprisoned for no reason, for the criminal approach has not helped, but made the situation worse.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

I have heard from people in the floral industry, that pharmaceutical companies are the largest buyers of flowers in the world. Synthetic doesn't always mean nonorganic.

[@pseudomemes5267]

In chemistry organic doesn't mean what it does in food. it means chemistry involving carbon-carbon bonds.

[@TheBackyardChemist]

Sometimes certain chemicals are simply cheaper to extract and purify from plants that make them. This is mostly done when either there is a plant that makes a lot of the chemical or if the chemical has a highly complicated structure that would be really expensive to synthesize. Often what happens, is that you extract a compound that has the same backbone as the one you want to make, and then run a series of reactions on it, to get the desired product. It all comes down to the cost.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

@@pseudomemes5267 It's reassuring to know that chemistry's definition of organic, is still the same as it was thirty-some years ago when I was in high school. This means that it is a C-H bond rather than a C-C bond that typically identifies something as organic such as methane, or CH4.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

@@TheBackyardChemist very true, and it's the reason why this happens. Why rack up a huge bill for rare compounds if you can get it cheaper from a daffodil?

[@radiobiologist]

Morphine flowers?

[@jessicakathleenbutler4299]

Damn, that even kinda helps explain to me why it is that I have allergic reactions to Tylenol (acetaminophen) and not Ibuprofen. They're much more different drugs than I ever thought they were.

[@Silverstreamhomecrafts]

I think that it confuses alot of people, that's why you can take paracetamol (Tylenol) with ibruphen, but you can't take ibruphen with naproxen or diclofenac

[@Blackopknight]

I was taking it and other NSAIDs for nearly 50 years and it has never worked unless throwing up was the intended outcome. I did a dna test a couple of years ago and found out my body can not metabolize NSAIDs. I think the bad gene was r191 .

[@acninee]

Hi @SciShow! This was a great segment. If you have the chance, I'd love to know more about other blood thinning agents. The manufactured ones, but also the plant Tulsi or "Holy Basil" taken as a tea. Thanks!

[@elenagibbons4719]

Hey, we’re learning about aspirin and clinical trials in school right now! Of course, our curriculum succeeded in making something that is genuinely interesting boring.

[@jayylad38]

aspirin has saved my papa's life twice. once, when he had a stroke, and once, when he had a septuple DVT that broke off into a triple PE.

[@Snapmare_]

*_generic painkiller in games_*

[@faeoori]

I'm in a long term aspirin study. I take a higher dose than he normal one.

[@Snapmare_]

Be safe man.

[@ThaFashionAssassin]

Max Payne!

[@nzoomed]

@@ThaFashionAssassin Was just about to mention that lol

[@rhoadster91]

View hb hi

[@danielhenderson7050]

Nice video! Michael Mosley’s Pain Pus and Poison documentary is also a very interesting watch in relation to the discovery of Aspirin and Paracetamol and pain killers in general.

[@romheadliner994]

Pharmacology is so fun to learn :D

[@munchiemac4484]

I made it on time for once. Love y'all Scishow

[@crackedemerald4930]

No one talking about Scruples? That's one of the wildest sounding units of measurement i have ever seen

[@czdaniel1]

@6:30 -- I heard that Bayer's invention of Heroin was basically just apply the acetalation technique that worked with their invention of Aspirin except they apply it to an opiate instead of salacin

[@dominichirst4518]

Great video again, I let my children watch a lot of these in a hope they find an interest in any science. Seems to be working. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@Clutchpearls]

Aspirin, still saving 💕 hearts today.

[@Sonex1542]

Please keep this guy.

[@RK-ep8qy]

Ooh we just made aspirin a couple of weeks ago in school!

[@numberpirate]

In german the second vowel is annunciated in long form, so stiel=steel, steil=stile, so with Bayer the Y is said like a long I, so it would be said like the way we say buyer in english, so Bayer=Buyer

[@gingerr8015]

Very cool! Just learned about aspirin in my pharmacology course

[@chistinelane]

Wow. Just wow and thanks. This is amazing

[@MissFiono]

I was serendipitously planning to write a blog post about NSAIDs and the unselectivity of ibuprofen (thechemistryofaphd.com). I'll stick your video in it! Great content as always!

[@RasBuyaka]

"ague" is pronounced "AYg" with a hard g and silent ue much like "tongue". it means an unspecified or non-locus pain as opposed to an Ache which afflicts a specific locus in the body. it's frequently misspelled as 'egg' in the misphrasing "to egg someone on" ("to ague someone on" is correct) which means to harass someone into impulsive action.

[@jinagibson6818]

I love willow and then some. Thanks for the video.

[@carschmn]

Super cool that willow bark was the first generic.

[@LEDewey_MD]

Excellent presentation about aspirin!

[@dane3886]

So willow bark causes stomach bleeding right? So the synthetic version (Asperin) is healthier in this case as it does not?

[@norgepalm7315]

Google?

[@chibiprussia5574]

When I run outta midol, aspirin comes in to save the day 👌 👌 👌

[@Ooshgaar]

Aspirin is also great to use along side paracetamol for a double wammy of pain relief as they work to reduce pain in completely separate ways, whilst still being really mild with less side effects and much less addictive unlike co-codamol or ibuprofen.

[@Jemini4228]

Did my Uni dissertation on benefits of aspirin. Wish I'd had this video then! :)

[@Articulate99]

Always interesting, thank you.

[@OnTheRiver66]

Great job in this video.

[@kevinholiday8238]

Really enjoyed this one

[@lll9416]

Fun Fact: Salicylic acid is a skin "eating" acid when concentrated. It's the main ingredient in Compound W, a wart remover and also in Carmex Lip Balm to soften chapped lips by dissolving top layer of your lip!

[@kevinbooth-]

Aspirin is still my go to for migraines/headaches and joint pain. Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen both do nothing and cause digestive problems when taken in quantity. Aspirin is my friend.

[@Bodragon]

(3:00) - Organic chemistry, (also known as carbon chemistry), is the study of organic compounds. An organic compound is any compound that contains both carbon and hydrogen. That's it.

[@markjarrett9400]

Great video. Really interesting. Only time I use aspirin is as a gargle for a sore throat. I find that it works marvels. Like all drugs it can have undesirable effects. In some asthmatics it can induce asthma attacks.

[@franceslambert8070]

I take 2 aspirin a day. One in AM one in PM. 325mg. Dr. says it is better to use aspirin to thin the blood than prescribed meds. Something about them causing fatal bleeding. I have been doing this for years because the cholesterol meds made me gain too much weight from the steroids. I have my blood checked and my blood pressure is great now, instead of being so low.

[@a4q2020]

Big likes from UAE brothers.

[@chloejohnson6861]

I saw a chart explaining how strong different painkillers are. Tylenol and Advil are 1/240th the strength of morphine. Aspirin is 1/360th the strength of morphine. So you need to take a little more aspirin to get the same painkilling effects. But I still wonder something: why was aspirin considered a miracle drug when they already had morphine?

[@screweduptx512]

- walks in store "Yea uhhh lemme get some heroin bro"

[@chavezhurtado6483]

Ligma Ligma let me get a pack of heroin and put the rest on pump 3

[@StewChicken42]

Yay it's Hankieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[@KristenRowenPliske]

Other information to keep in mind: NEVER give aspirin to a child under 18. Doing so can cause a deadly syndrome called Reyes' syndrome. Also, doctors don't usually advise taking aspirin for pain any more because of that blood thinning effect. Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead. Asprin is generally reserved for patient's with heart problems or other medical issues so check with your doctor before taking one on a daily basis.

[@czdaniel1]

In my country, heart disease will kill 1-million people this year. Most Americans will be better off with an occasional blood thinning after their BigMac & fried cheese bacon breakfast

[@shadowpod13]

You know around the 2:00 min mark I noticed that whenever you had your head at a bit of an angle the green screen would do weird things with your glasses. Like some of them would be cut out. Just an FYI, and a Huh, didn't notice that before.

[@jamiedye6005]

This was fascinating!

[@headpox5817]

Great video. "Heroin over the counter"... I found that in Thailand you can get antibiotics over the counter - which is a real worry. Have you got a similar video on Paracetamol ? Is Paracetamol Aspirin's nemesis ?

[@DINESHARYA]

Wow that's very informative

[@bac4723]

In some cases scientists were right, some molecules have 'handedness' or chirality, living organisms make some compounds with only one of the two possible mirror images of such molecules. Sometimes the unnatural handedness is toxic.

[@chemomatik8276]

Just a quick Erratum: The guy's name was Wöhler, not Wohler (and yes, o and ö are pronounced differently). And Bayer isn't pronounced "Bear", but almost exactly like the English word "Buyer". Other than that, thumbs up, as always.

[@LeethLee1]

Now *this* , is science pod-racing!

[@janetross1900]

Our neurologist is Dr. Bayer!

[@snazzymcnazmy]

Hank sure is a likable person

[@notdancooper923]

"Is that you, John Vane?"

[@theclockmaker633]

Funy thing is Bayer found heroine first and is sintesised in the same reaction as aspirine but instead of salicilic asid the Starting compound for heroine is morphine.

[@riddheepatel1874]

Hi i hope it is ok if I can take the beginning of your video for my school project. I really need a way to start and I love your opening

[@zxwmabcdef5439]

We need to think long and hard before pulling a medicine from the market. My step mother's mom had heart surgery and the only medicine that will control her blood pressure is Xanax. I hurt a disk in my back a couple of years ago. The only medications that stopped the spasms was Ativan and Aspirin.

[@Jasmine-fu7qr]

I watched this the day it came out while taking aspirin for my headaches... Three days latter a lot of painin my abdomen, and a doctor visit telling me to take pepcid because I got stomach ulcers. I'm not fan of salicylic acid. Not anymore

[@RobinMarks1313]

I'm the age where I thought it was a good idea to have aspirin for the heart. However, "Over all, the benefits of aspirin were partially counterbalanced by the risks. For every 1,000 people taking aspirin, 11 avoided a serious vascular event (heart attack, stroke, ministroke, or cardiovascular-related death). But nine experienced bleeding that was serious enough to result in hospitalization or death, which means the risks and benefits were about the same. The study appeared in the August 26 New England Journal of Medicine." With every medicine there are risks. So, I stopped the aspirin and decide to eat garlic more often because it's a natural way to thin your blood. Also, adding apple cider vinegar in your diet will help. These are both acids which help the blood flow better. And the benefit is they have no side effects when used. Yes, the stink-- so there's that.