Gargling Aspirin, What the?

Today I was introduced to the odd ritual of gargling Aspirin. Why would someone do such a thing you ask? For a sore throat seems to be the season to take it up, the theory is it works as an anesthesia, numbing the area and relieving your pain.

Odd thing about it is it seems unaccepted in the medical community, even though it has been known to be suggested by GP's and pharmacists. I decided to consult the unreliable, but often relied on source, the Internet:

"Gargling with aspirin dissolved in warm water is not advisable as it may cause further irritation to the membrane. You need to swallow aspirin for the body to absorb it as a pain reliever.
-- health.rutgers.edu/brochures/sorethroat.htm

"Aspirin gargles will do little to ease soreness in the larynx...However, it may ease a sore throat...There is little research evidence to confirm that aspirin gargles are effective for sore throat. However, it is a popular treatment and may be worth a try."
-- patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068940/

duets.nhs.uk indicates that gargling aspirin for pain relief with a sore throat is being questioned by medical practitioners, but on that website no studies have been done or uploaded yet.

And from these sites I learnt little, but enough to make a decision for myself not to try it. It may have benefit, maybe, but I think I'll stick with lozengers and drinking a lot of water to relieve a sore throat, or if I'm going to take a pain relief drug, I think I'd just swallow it. I imagine pain relief drugs like Panadol, Aspirin or Nurofen will probably work better if they are digested, seeing as that's the method of interaction they were designed for.