Opium poppy

The opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and all refined opiates such as morphine are extracted, as well as an important food item.

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.[http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml The 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.

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. This situation was parodied on the show Seinfeld.

In India and Turkey opium poppy is known as Khaskhas or Haşhaş (prenounced: "Hashhash", probably derived from Arabic) and is considered a highly nutritious food item, mostly added in dough while baking bread, highly recommended for pregnant women and new mothers. Hashhash is also the name of all kinds of narcotics in these regions.

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 imperialist Britain 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 19th 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.

Mythological associations

The ancient Greeks portrayed the divinities of Sleep, Night and Death wreathed with poppies or carrying poppies in their hands. They also decorated statues of Apollo, Demeter, Aphrodite, Cybele and other gods, which either wear poppy wreaths on their heads or carry poppy bouquets, with or without stalks of wheat, in their hands. According to the legend, Demeter, in despair over the abduction of her daughter Persephone by Hades, ate poppies to forget her pain and to sleep.

Sources

Fragiska, M. (2005). Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity. Environmental Archaeology 10 (1): 73-82

External links

Photos

Image:Illustration Papaver somniferum0.jpg|Opium Poppy
from Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885 Image:Field_of_opium.jpg|A field of opium poppy in Burma. Image:Opium_poppy.jpg|Ornamental poppy at Chatsworth House, UK Image:Crowning_P_Somniferum_topview.jpg|Immature crowning Opium Poppy, top view

Papaveraceae

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