Pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin are due to salicylic acid, which serves as a major component of it. According to a new study, human body might have the ability to produce its own Salicylic acid.

In some previous studies, the presence of salicylic acid has been noticed in the blood of those people who were not taking aspirin, particularly in the blood of vegetarians.  It makes sense, as salicylic acid is found in many vegetables and fruits.

In their study, the UK researchers gave benzoic acid to the participants of the study. Benzoic acid is another substance found in many vegetables and fruits and human body uses for salicylic acid production. The researchers found that the participants could make their own salicylic acid, but the its production levels were different in different people.

The study has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Dec. 24 issue.

“We suspect that salicylic acid is a biopharmaceutical and it’s playing in important defensive role not only in animals but also in plants, and we also propose that this simple chemical would possibly become a greatly recognized animal bioregulator,” says the author of the study in a news release.