“ Oxidation converts it into helicin (salicyl-aldehyde-glucose) . Populin, a benzoyl salicin, is a glucoside found in the leaves and bark of Populus tremula.
Salicin is used in medicine for the same purposes as salicylic acid and the salicylates. It is also used as a bitter tonic, i.e. a gastric stimulant, in doses of five grains. The ordinary dose may go up to forty grains or more with perfect safety, though the British Pharmacopoeia limits it to twenty. The remote action of the drug is that of salicylic acid or the numerous compounds that contain it (see Salicylic Acid) . ”