Salacin is a chemical substance that is found in the bark of the American Black willow. When the human body breaks down salicin, it produces salicylic acid, the main ingredient in aspirin. Salicylic acid has an analgesic effect in addition to reducing fevers and inflammations. These tribes included the Mohegan who lived in what is now Connecticut and the Penobscot who lived in what is now Maine. Besides using this tea , as a fever reducer, and anti-inflammatory, they also used it as a diuretic and an antiseptic. Native Americans used Black Willow long before contact with Europeans. They shared their pharmaceutical knowledge with the American Colonists.