Poppy (Papaver), family Papaveraceae

 Poppy (Papaver)

In flowerbeds there are regular and double varieties. They can often be found along roads, especially railways, where poppies find a microclimate close to their native steppe.

 It is necessary to distinguish between wild poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and cultivated poppy (Papaver somniferum). In the first, the seeds spontaneously fall out through the holes in the capsules when ripening, and only a part of them can be collected, and they are considered unsuitable for food.

 It is this species that is a common weed in our fields. It is considered moderately poisonous, not eaten by cattle, but is unsuitable for narcotic purposes.

 The second species (poppy), in turn, is divided into oil and opium varieties. Oilseeds are so named because their edible seeds are rich in oil, which can be extracted, although we often find these seeds whole. They can hardly be called extremely useful, but nevertheless they contain a lot of calcium, zinc, and complete proteins.

 Medicine uses the alkaloids morphine, codeine, narcotine, narceine, and papaverine from the milky juice of the capsules of the sleeping poppy. The concentration of these substances is low in oil varieties. Opium varieties, on the contrary, are characterized by thick-walled capsules with abundant juice. Sensitive chemical analysis reveals traces of alkaloids in the seeds as well. But their low content allows this product to be freely sold and consumed, although poppy cultivation was sometimes prohibited by the state, indiscriminately in relation to varieties.

 In folk medicine, poppy petals (self-seeding) are used, mainly as a sedative.

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