Effect:
Sleep-promoting, pain-relieving, congestive, antitussive, antispasmodic, blood circulation-promoting
Areas of application:
Pain of all kinds, anesthetics, gastrointestinal problems, high cholesterol levels, stroke, all the complaints of old age, head trauma, depression, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, problems falling asleep, cough, sleep disorders, lice, nits
Plant parts used:
Green poppy seed capsules, seeds
Collection time:
August
To find:
On cultivated areas, otherwise in the home countries of Asia and Mediterranean countries.
Ingredients:
100 alkaloids, morphine, codeine, noscapine, papaverine, enzymes, calcium, fat, B vitamins, proteins
Other:
☕ Tea: pour about 1 to 2 g of crushed poppy seed capsules with 1/4 liter of hot water and let it steep briefly. The morphine contained in it (0.1%) is dissolved out by the water. The tea has a pain-relieving effect.
🛑 Be careful! All products made from opium poppies are subject to the Narcotics Act. Preparations containing opium can only be prescribed by a doctor.
The poppy seed, as an important pain reliever, has been known for centuries. The narcotic substances are the most important thing the plant kingdom has. If you scratch unripe seed capsules, a milky juice comes out which is then dried to form an elastic mass - the so-called "opium". Morphine can be made from this raw opium and heroin can be made from it. Since the opium poppy is one of the most dangerous addictive substances, its cultivation in Germany requires a permit.
At that time, the opium poppy was used as an anesthetic for operations and injuries. On the other hand, it has been used as an aphrodisiac for an infinitely long time. Despite and precisely because of its remarkable ingredients, poppy is one of humanity's most important medicinal plants.
See also corn poppy