Opium Poppy
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum, Papaveraceae)
Ibicencan: cascall
French: pavot somnifère, pavot à opium
The opium poppy - mostly with violet flowers - is native to East Asia. It is cultivated in other places. In many countries the culture is forbidden, in small quantities as an ornamental plant however, it is tolerated. In Spain the cultivation for pharmaceutical reasons is legal under the surveillance of the Guardia civil. On the Balears Islands it can sometimes be found naturalized.
The sap of the immature capsule is known as opium. It contains several alkaloids, among them morphine. This is known as poisonous and addictive. Moreover from it the diacetylmorpine is produced, better known by the name of heroine.
Opium is medicinally used as a sedative. In earlier times children were given opium dummies to cut down because the dangers of this were not yet known. Some children even died of that treatment. There are more uses - but I do not mention them because they are only of interest for experts. It is to be recommended to use other poppy species instead.
The ripe seeds do not contain alkaloids. They are used in the kitchen and are sold under the name of poppy - not revealing the origin from this species. So the seeds can be spread out to have ornamental plants, and the new seeds can be harvested when ripe. From the seeds an oil is extracted which is said to reduce cholesterol.
