Salicin was used to first produce the drug aspirin, which it shares many similarities. Both substances, when metabolized in the human body, are partly reduced to salicylic acid. Salicylic acid was studied and found to be an inferior alternative to salicin. Aspirin was developed in an effort to create a similar but more effective compound. Salicin acts in a very similar way to aspirin but does not possess the unwanted side effects that are sometimes associated with aspirin, including gastric upset and a poorly understood but well documented connection with Reye's syndrome, a dangerous and potentially fatal disease that usually occurs in children.

1). As "natural aspirin" ,salicin are widely used in the treatment of fever, cold and infections(influenza).

2). Analgesic,anti-inflammatory, and  local anesthesia.

3). It can also be used as biochemical reagent.