Salivary Amylase. Salivary amylase initiates the digestion of starches, one of the more complex forms of carbohydrate. Secreted in the saliva, salivary amylase breaks down long-chain and branched carbohydrates, known as amylose and amylopectin, into two- and three-molecule sugars called maltose. The individual subunits that make up maltose are glucose, your bodyâs primary fuel source.
Aspirin has many effects because it reduces the bodyâs production of prostaglandins, a hormone-like substance that acts in numerous ways. Reducing prostaglandins diminishes pain and fever and weakens plateletsâ ability to stick together and form clots.
Aspirin, sold as Bayer or Bufferin, is absorbed into the bloodstream and essentially looks for areas where we feel pain. Aspirin is used to treat headaches of all sizes, to suppress minor body aches and pains, and to reduce inflammation when we're sore. But it's rough on the upper digestive tract (can cause upset stomach, heartburn, and even dyspepsia), it's bad for hemophiliacs, and it's not safe for kids.