Opium poppy
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ranunculales Family: Papaveraceae Genus: Papaver Species: P. somniferum
Binomial name
Papaver somniferum L.

The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and all refined opiates such as morphine (up to 20%), thebaine (5%), codeine (1%), papaverine (1%), and noscapine (5-8%) are extracted.

The seeds are an important food item, and contain healthy oils used in salads worldwide.

There are many varieties of this poppy species. Colors of the flower vary widely, as do other physical characteristics (number and shape of petals, number of pods, production of morphine, etc.). Possession of any part of Papaver somniferum other than the seed is outlawed in the United States and is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration.[1] [2]

However, they are widely grown as ornamentals in various colors, especially around old homesteads.

The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its narcotic properties.

Synonyms

Papaver somniferum is a large species of plant, and has sub-groups. Papaver somniferum Paeoniflorum Group (sometimes called Papaver paeoniflorum) is a sub-type of opium poppy whose flowers are highly double, and are grown in many colors. Papaver somniferum Laciniatum Group (sometimes called Papaver laciniatum) is a sub-type of opium poppy whose flowers are highly double and deeply lobed, to the point of looking like a ruffly pompon.

Regulation

In Hong Kong, Opium poppies are regulated under section 9 of Hong Kong's Chapter 134 Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Cultivation and dealing with opium poppies is illegal and a fine of $100,000 and to imprisonment for 15 years can be laid by the court. Anyone who supplies the substance without presciption can be fined $10,000(HKD). The penalty for trafficking or manufacturing the substance is a $5,000,000 (HKD) fine and life imprisonment. Possession of the substance for consumption without license from the Department of Health is illegal with a $1,000,000 (HKD) fine and/or 7 years of jail time.

Use as food

The seeds of the poppy are widely used as the popular "poppy seed" found in and on many food items such as bagels, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form poppy seed oil, which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for oil-based paints. Opium poppy seeds contain negligible amounts of narcotics. However, the television show MythBusters demonstrated that one could test positive for narcotics after consuming 4 poppy seed bagels. The show Brainiac: Science Abuse proved you could test positive with only 2 poppy seed bagels. This situation was parodied on the show Seinfeld.

In India and Turkey opium poppy is known as Khaskhas or Haşhaş (pronounced: "Hashhash") and is considered a highly nutritious food item, mostly added in dough while baking bread, highly recommended for pregnant women and new mothers.

In Lithuania a traditional meal is prepared for the Kūčios (Christmas Eve) diner from the poppy seeds. They are grinded and mixed with water; round yeast bisquits (kūčiukai) are soaked in the resulting poppy seed 'milk' and served cold.

Ornamental cultivation

Although technically illegal, many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations (many without knowing). This is regarded much in the same way as the fact that morning glory seeds contains the psychedelic chemical ergine, also called LSA, but morning glories are still widely grown for their delicate beauty.

There is also a "myth" that poppy seeds found on bagels can grow into adult flowering plants, yet no seed exposed to baking temperatures could possibly remain viable. However raw seeds sold as spices in grocery stores can grow into flowers, the pods of which contain appreciable quantities of opium.

A plausible underlying reason for the restrictions placed on opium growth is that opiates are very difficult and commercially infeasible to synthesize and it is much less expensive to begin with a starter material such as raw opium derived from the poppy. Many countries grow the plants, namely Afghanistan, Turkey and India; some of which rely heavily on the commercial production of the drug as a major source of income. As an additional source of profit, the same seeds are sold in the culinary trade shortly thereafter, making cultivation of the plant a significant source of income.

History

The history of the opium poppy predates written history. It probably originated in the Mediterranean area. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient Sumerian artifacts (ca. 4000 BCE). The opium poppy was also known to the ancient Greeks, from whom it gained its modern name of Opium. In historic contexts from Greece remains have been discovered in proto-geometric contexts at sites such as kalapodi and Kastanas.

Opium was used for treating asthma, stomach illnesses, and bad eye sight. The Opium Wars between China and the British Empire took place in the late 1830s when the Chinese attempted to stop the sale of opium by Britain, in China.

Many modern writers, particularly in the nineteenth century, have written on the opium poppy and its effects, notably L. Frank Baum with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Thomas de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

Photos

• The Papaver Somniferum Photo Gallery
• Photos of opium poppies on www.geopium.org

Opium Poppy from Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885

A field of opium poppy in Burma.

Ornamental poppy at Chatsworth House, UK

Immature crowning Opium Poppy, top view

External links

• Erowid Poppy Vault
• Comprehensive profile for Papaver somniferum from the website MaltaWildPlants.com