A glucoside of o-hydroxybenzylalcohol, obtained from the bark of several species of Salix (willow) and Populus (poplar); s. is hydrolyzed to glucose and saligenin (salicyl alcohol); formerly used in rheumatoid arthritis.
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sal·i·cin 'sal-i-sin n a bitter white crystalline glucoside C13H18O7 found in the bark and leaves of several willows and poplars, yielding saligenin and glucose on hydrolysis, and formerly used in medicine as an antipyretic, antirheumatic, and tonic
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sal·i·cin (salґĭ-sin) a precursor of salicylic acid, contained in the bark of the willow (Salix spp.) and poplar (Populus spp.), that is responsible for the antiinflammatory and antipyretic effects of willow bark.Medical dictionary. 2011.