Effect:
sleep-inducing, expectorant, emollient, pain-relieving, slightly narcotic, calming
Areas of application:
Difficulty falling asleep, coughing, hoarseness, sleep disorders, restlessness, lice, nits, as a sedative for small children in case of aches and pains
Plant parts used:
Flowers and seeds
Collection time:
June to July
To find:
It is rarely found as an arable weed; it is usually found in open ground. It feels at home on fallow land where no other plants grow.
Ingredients:
Linoleic acid, fatty oil, alkaloid rhoeadine (mildly toxic), berberine, mucilage, tannins, bitter substances, anthocyanin glycoside
Other:
☕ Tea: 1 tablespoon of petals are poured with 150 ml of boiling water and left to steep for 10 minutes. Then strain and drink sweetened with honey.
The corn poppy is a one- to two-year-old plant and has a height of 20 to 90 cm. The branched stem is thin and hairy. It has milky sap in the stem. The lanceolate, single to double pinnately cut with roughly incised to sharply serrated leaves are rough and bristly hairy and are approximately 15 cm long. The flowers are solitary and terminal on the stem. Corn poppy has four petals that can be scarlet to purple red, rarely white or purple. In the lower part of the crown leaves there is a large black spot with a white border. They are very thin and resemble slightly wrinkled paper. There are approximately 164 stamens in the flower. The stigma disc is short and conical and usually has 10 stigma rays. The flowering period is from May to July. The capsule fruit contains several hundred seeds.
🛑 Corn poppies are poisonous to mammals, especially the milky sap. The young leaves before flowering, petals, young green fruits and seeds are safe to use in moderation. If taken in large quantities, it can cause gastrointestinal complaints with abdominal pain, central nervous excitement, restlessness, epileptiform cramps and loss of consciousness.
In the kitchen, the young leaves can be used in salads before they bloom. The red petals are suitable as edible decorations, and the fruits, which are still green, can also be eaten.
The corn poppy was used as a love oracle. Its petals were struck and the louder the bang, the greater the love.
The plant has nothing in common with the opium poppy, from which opium is obtained, but the corn poppy provides dream-giving alkaloids.
see also poppy seeds