2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Poppies / Papaver / are a genus of annual, biennial or perennial plants that can be found in different places. There are nearly a hundred species of poppies, and depending on the substances in their composition, they can be highly or less poisonous. Poppies can be painted in different colors, with a predominance of red and its shades. Plants painted in yellow, pink and white are less common.
Types of poppies
In our country poppies can be seen everywhere. They often grow in the fields and mountains. According to experts, eight species of the culture grow in the country, the most common being the Polish poppy and the sleeping poppy.
Field poppy / Papaver rhoeas / is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the family Poppies / Papaveraceae /. Polish poppy grows wild in Asia, Europe and Australia. This weed can be found almost anywhere in the country. It is known by the names kadanka and trumbul. The Polish poppy has an upright thin stem, between 20-80 centimeters high. It is usually covered with hairs and is colored green.
Its colors are bright red. The fruit is an ovoid box. The seeds are small, blackening. The parts of the plant contain white milky sap. Polish poppy is a well-known crop of farmers, as it can be seen among wheat and other cereals. It also grows on roads, desolate places, foothills up to a thousand meters above sea level. Papaver rhoeas blooms from May to late summer.
The sleeping poppy (Papaver somniferum), also known as oil and garden poppy, is an annual herbaceous plant that also has an upright stem. However, it is covered with a bluish-gray deposit and is about one meter high. The leaves of the sleeping poppy are bare and colored blue-green. The cotyledons of Papaver somniferum are four in number, colored in red, white, pink or purple.
The fruit of a plant is an elongated box filled with many seeds. And this plant contains white milk juice, which is toxic. The sleeping poppy is found in the warmer regions of Bulgaria. It is widespread in the Petrich region and the Blagoevgrad region. The sleeping poppy blooms in May-June, and the fruit boxes ripen in the period June-August.
Composition of poppy
The Polish poppy is a source of the alkaloids readin and readenine, as well as the alkaloids papaverine and thebaine, the anthocyanin glucosides mecocyanin and mecopelargonine. In newer research, experts have found in it the alkaloid glaucine. Polish poppy is rich in resinous, mucous and dye substances.
Hypnotic poppy contains morphine, codeine, theban drug and many other substances. Its seeds are a source of a large amount of oil and alkaloids. They also contain protein and carbohydrates.
Benefits of poppy
Although considered a weed, the Polish poppy it is not useless grass at all. Its corolla leaves / Flores Rhoeados / are highly valued for their antitussive action. They are used for persistent cough, dysentery, nocturnal urination and more. The fruit boxes of the plant have a beneficial effect on rapid heartbeat, irregular menstruation and abdominal pain.
Oil-bearing poppy is grown as an oil-bearing crop, as it is used to make raw materials for medicines. The fruit boxes / Fructus Papaveris / and the poppy seed / Semen Papaveris / of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.
From the sleeping pill poppy the seed boxes are used after the seed has matured. The hardened milk juice (opium) is also taken from the plant, which is obtained after injuring the green boxes.
This sleeping poppy is considered to be one of the oldest remedies. Due to its rich composition, the herb has a strong calming and intoxicating effect. It eliminates the painful sensation in the stomach and relieves cough. It also helps with diarrhea. The use of this plant at home is extremely unacceptable. And drugs derived from the plant are granted only at the discretion of the doctor.
Folk medicine with poppy
In folk medicine there are many recipes with Polish again. For example, among healers and healers there is a well-known recipe for Papaver rhoeas syrup, which helps with persistent cough. Fifty grams of chopped petals of the plant are needed to prepare the medicinal substance.
The herb should be covered with 500 milliliters of boiling water, in which citric acid (1 g) was previously poured. The resulting decoction is left to stand for 3-4 hours, and it is good to stir several times during this time. The cooled infusion is filtered and then mixed with sugar (650 g). Then a syrup is boiled from the liquid. Take one teaspoon five times a day.
Poppy in cooking
As already mentioned, from the sleeping pill poppy small grayish seeds are obtained. They are used in cooking and are suitable for various culinary experiments. They are mainly used in making pasta such as pies, cakes, rolls, breads, biscuits, pickles, rolls and all kinds of other pastries. The specific fine and refined aroma of the seeds is suitable for various sauces, meats, fish and vegetable dishes.
Harm from poppy
Polish decoctions are not recommended poppy to be used in children, as they also have some intoxicating effect. The herb can also be dangerous for adults, as it is toxic in large doses. In fact, almost all types of poppies are poisonous, so in no case should be applied without the knowledge of a doctor.
According to experts, when sleeping poppy poisoning occurs slackness and drowsiness. The body temperature drops, and with it there is a decrease in urine output. If the poisoning is very severe, the victim may fall into a coma.
If poppy poisoning is suspected, medical attention should be sought immediately. Poisoning is treated by gastric lavage with activated charcoal. In case of more serious poisoning, the specialists take additional measures. The most vulnerable to the toxicity of poppies are young children and the elderly.
