Opium Poppy
Parts Usually Used
Seeds
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Opium poppy is an annual plant which grows about 1-4 feet high; its 4 petaled white or red flowers are tinged with blue and grow to 4 inches in diameter. Recognize the seedling when they appear in the spring by the blue-gray color of the leaves. It requires a long growing season, and cannot be matured in the north unless plants are started indoors. The roots are very sensitive and resent transplanting.
The seedpods are large, follow the blossoms, and mature to golf-ball size. Opium poppy is very short-lived: seedlings appear in early spring, flowers bloom in midspring, and plants see seeds in late spring and are usually gone by summer. Different varieties have single, double, carnation, or peony forms.
Where Found
Native to Greece and the Orient.
Medicinal Properties
Hypnotic, narcotic, sedative
Legends, Myths and Stories
Opium is an addicting, narcotic drug prepared from the juice of the unripe seed capsules. It contains such alkaloids as morphine, codeine, and papaverine, and is used as an intoxicant and medicinally to relieve pain and produce sleep. The word somniferum means “to make sleep”.
Uses
Dutch growers developed a poppy variety derived from Papaver somniferum and P. rhoeas, which was widely cultivated in India, Turkey, and Persia for both seed and opium production. Historically, the seeds were utilized primarily in baked goods and served as a common component in commercial birdseed mixtures. Additionally, oil pressed from the crushed seeds was traditionally employed as a culinary substitute for olive oil.
Warning
This plant under proper medical supervision is highly valuable. Opium is addictive and overdose is fatal. Never use without medical advice.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.
David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974