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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Opium Poppy
| image = Koeh-102.jpg
| image_width = 225px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Ranunculales]]
| familia = [[Papaveraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Papaver]]''
| species = '''''P. somniferum'''''
| binomial = ''Papaver somniferum''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
The '''opium poppy''', ''Papaver somniferum'', is the type of [[poppy]] from which [[opium]] and all refined opiates such as [[morphine]], [[thebaine]], [[codeine]], [[papaverine]], and [[noscapine]] are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its [[narcotic]] properties. The seeds from low morphine varieties{{Fact|date=July 2007}} are an important food item, and contain healthy oils used in salads worldwide.
==Varieties==
''Papaver somniferum'' is a [[species]] of plant with many sub-groups or varieties. Some of the varieties (such as the Norman and Przemko varieties) have "low morphine" content meaning they have insufficient opium compounds to produce a "high" or to be useful to the drug trade. These "low morphine" varieties are sometimes called "breadseed poppies" or "florist poppies". The DEA considers it legal for gardeners to cultivate these "low morphine" varieties.
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 non-"low morphine" 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]].<ref> [http://www.dea.gov/pubs/scheduling.html dea.gov] [http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml erowid.org]</ref>
''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 [[seed]]s of the poppy are widely used as the popular "poppy seed" found in and on many food items such as [[bagel]]s, [[bialy]]s, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form [[poppyseed oil]], which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for [[oil paint|oil-based paints]]. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica's entry regarding the Opium poppy seeds, the seed contains no narcotic elements.
Although they are supposed to be clear of narcotics, the television show ''[[MythBusters]]'' demonstrated that one could test positive for narcotics after consuming 4 poppy seed bagels. The show [[Brainiac: Science Abuse]] had subjects that tested 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]]) dinner from the poppy seeds. They are ground and mixed with water; round yeast bisquits (''kūčiukai'') are soaked in the resulting poppy seed 'milk' and served cold.
==Poppy for Medicine==
In both [[India]] and [[Turkey]], [[opium]] production is used for medicinal purposes, making poppy-based drugs, such as morphine or codeine, for domestic use or exporting raw poppy materials to other countries. The United States buys 80 percent of its medicinal opium from these two countries. However, there is an acute global shortage of opium poppy-based medicines some of which (morphine) are on the [[World Health Organisation]]'s list of [[WHO Model List of Essential Medicines|essential drugs]] as they are the most effective way of relieving severe pain. A recent initiative to extend opium production for medicinal purposes called Poppy for Medicine was launched by [[The Senlis Council]] which thinks that [[Afghanistan]] could produce medicinal opium under a scheme similar to that operating in Turkey and India (see the Council's recent report "Poppy for Medicine" [http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/events/London_event_on_afghanistan]). The Council proposes licensing poppy production in Afghanistan, within an integrated control system supported by the Afghan government and its international allies, in order to promote economic growth in the country, create vital drugs and combat poverty and the diversion of illegal opium to drug traffickers and terrorist elements. With poppy for medicine projects, opium poppy can be used as a valuable resource.
==Ornamental cultivation==
Many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations.
Many countries grow the plants; 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. This international trade in seeds of non-"low morphine" Papaver somniferum was addressed by a [[UN]] resolution "to fight the international trade in illicit opium poppy seeds" on July 28, 1998.
==History==
Use of the opium poppy predates written history. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient [[Sumer]]ian artifacts (''ca.'' 4000 BC). 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==
* [http://www.poppies.org/gallery/ The Papaver somniferum Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.geopium.org/Photos/Pavots_Poppies/pavotspoppies.htm Photos of opium poppies on www.geopium.org]
<br />
<gallery>
Image:Illustration Papaver somniferum0.jpg|Opium Poppy <br /> 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
Image:2poppies.jpg|Opium poppies
Image:opium_harvest.jpg|Opium poppies during a harvest
</gallery>
==Sources and notes==
<references/>
*[http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy Erowid Poppy Vault]
*[http://www.maltawildplants.com/PAPV/Papaver_somniferum.html Comprehensive profile for ''Papaver somniferum'' from the website [[MaltaWildPlants.com]]]
*[http://www.poppies.org/faq/introduction/how-potent-are-the-major-culinary-spicerack-varieties-such-as-mccormick/#more poppies.org]
*[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6723894.html freepatentsonline.com]
[[Category:Papaveraceae]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Opium Poppy
| image = Koeh-102.jpg
| image_width = 225px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Ranunculales]]
| familia = [[Papaveraceae]]
| genus = ''[[Papaver]]''
| species = '''''P. somniferum'''''
| binomial = ''Papaver somniferum''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
The '''opium poppy''', ''Papaver somniferum'', is the type of [[poppy]] from which [[opium]] and all refined opiates such as [[morphine]], [[thebaine]], [[codeine]], [[papaverine]], and [[noscapine]] are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its [[narcotic]] properties. The seeds from low morphine varieties{{Fact|date=July 2007}} are an important food item, and contain healthy oils used in salads worldwide.
==Varieties==
''Papaver somniferum'' is a [[species]] of plant with many sub-groups or varieties. Some of the varieties (such as the Norman and Przemko varieties) have "low morphine" content meaning they have insufficient opium compounds to produce a "high" or to be useful to the drug trade. These "low morphine" varieties are sometimes called "breadseed poppies" or "florist poppies". The DEA considers it legal for gardeners to cultivate these "low morphine" varieties.
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 non-"low morphine" 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]].<ref> [http://www.dea.gov/pubs/scheduling.html dea.gov] [http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy_law.shtml erowid.org]</ref>
''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 [[seed]]s of the poppy are widely used as the popular "poppy seed" found in and on many food items such as [[bagel]]s, [[bialy]]s, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form [[poppyseed oil]], which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for [[oil paint|oil-based paints]]. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica's entry regarding the Opium poppy seeds, the seed contains no narcotic elements.
Although they are supposed to be clear of narcotics, the television show ''[[MythBusters]]'' demonstrated that one could test positive for narcotics after consuming 4 poppy seed bagels. The show [[Brainiac: Science Abuse]] had subjects that tested 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]]) dinner from the poppy seeds. They are ground and mixed with water; round yeast bisquits (''kūčiukai'') are soaked in the resulting poppy seed 'milk' and served cold.
==Poppy for Medicine==
In both [[India]] and [[Turkey]], [[opium]] production is used for medicinal purposes, making poppy-based drugs, such as morphine or codeine, for domestic use or exporting raw poppy materials to other countries. The United States buys 80 percent of its medicinal opium from these two countries. However, there is an acute global shortage of opium poppy-based medicines some of which (morphine) are on the [[World Health Organisation]]'s list of [[WHO Model List of Essential Medicines|essential drugs]] as they are the most effective way of relieving severe pain. A recent initiative to extend opium production for medicinal purposes called Poppy for Medicine was launched by [[The Senlis Council]] which thinks that [[Afghanistan]] could produce medicinal opium under a scheme similar to that operating in Turkey and India (see the Council's recent report "Poppy for Medicine" [http://www.senliscouncil.net/modules/events/London_event_on_afghanistan]). The Council proposes licensing poppy production in Afghanistan, within an integrated control system supported by the Afghan government and its international allies, in order to promote economic growth in the country, create vital drugs and combat poverty and the diversion of illegal opium to drug traffickers and terrorist elements. With poppy for medicine projects, opium poppy can be used as a valuable resource.
==Ornamental cultivation==
Many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations.
Many countries grow the plants; 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. This international trade in seeds of non-"low morphine" Papaver somniferum was addressed by a [[UN]] resolution "to fight the international trade in illicit opium poppy seeds" on July 28, 1998.
==History==
Use of the opium poppy predates written history. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient [[Sumer]]ian artifacts (''ca.'' 4000 BC). 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==
* [http://www.poppies.org/gallery/ The Papaver somniferum Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.geopium.org/Photos/Pavots_Poppies/pavotspoppies.htm Photos of opium poppies on www.geopium.org]
<br />
<gallery>
Image:Illustration Papaver somniferum0.jpg|Opium Poppy <br /> 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
Image:2poppies.jpg|Opium poppies
Image:opium_harvest.jpg|Opium poppies during a harvest
</gallery>
==Sources and notes==
<references/>
*[http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy Erowid Poppy Vault]
*[http://www.maltawildplants.com/PAPV/Papaver_somniferum.html Comprehensive profile for ''Papaver somniferum'' from the website [[MaltaWildPlants.com]]]
*[http://www.poppies.org/faq/introduction/how-potent-are-the-major-culinary-spicerack-varieties-such-as-mccormick/#more poppies.org]
*[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6723894.html freepatentsonline.com]
[[Category:Papaveraceae]]
