Opium poppy
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Opium Poppy
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Papaver
Species: P. somniferum
Binomial name
Papaver somniferum
L.
The Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and many refined opiates, including heroine, morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine, are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its narcotic properties. The seeds are important food items, and contain healthy oils used worldwide in the culinary arts. The plant itself is valuable for ornamental purposes.
Contents [hide]
1 Varieties
2 Legality
3 Poppies as medicine
4 Use as food
5 Ornamental cultivation
6 History
7 Sources and notes
7.1 Inline citations
7.2 General references
7.3 Photos
[edit] Varieties
Papaver somniferum is a species of plant with many sub-groups or varieties. Colors of the flower vary widely, as do other physical characteristics such as number and shape of petals, number of pods, production of morphine, etc.
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.
A few of the varieties, notably the Norman and Przemko varieties, have low morphine content (less than one percent), but have much higher concentrations of other alkaloids. Most varieties, however, including those most popular for ornamental use or seed production, have a higher morphine content, with the average content being 10%.[1][2]
[edit] Legality
In the United States, opium is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition, "Opium poppy and poppy straw" are also prohibited.[3] However, this is not typically enforced for poppies grown or sold for ornamental or food purposes.[1] There is a common misconception that there is a clear distinction between poppies useful for opium extraction and ornamental or food poppies. It is not difficult to manufacture opium tea with a high morphine content from opium flowers readily available at flower shops.[4][5][6]
Opium poppy cultivation in the United Kingdom does not need a licence, however, a licence is required for those wishing to extract opium for medicinal products.[7] The seeds themselves contain very low levels of opiates.[1] However, 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 who tested positive with only 2 poppy seed bagels. As a result, the US standard for urinalysis raised the threshold for a positive result by a considerable amount.[citation needed] However, many labs have not implemented the increased detection threshold and many believe that the new threshold is too low.
[edit] Poppies as medicine
Commercial poppy cultivation in France
Capsule of Papaver somniferum showing latex (opium) exuding from incisionIn 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.
A recent initiative to extend opium production for medicinal purposes called Poppy for Medicine was launched by The Senlis Council which proposes 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" [1]). 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. Interestingly, Senlis is on record advocating reintroduction of poppy into areas of Afghanistan, specifically Kunduz, which has been poppy free for some time.
The Senlis proposal is based in part on the assertion that there is an acute global shortage of opium poppy-based medicines some of which (morphine) are on the World Health Organisation's list of essential drugs as they are the most effective way of relieving severe pain. This assertion is contradicted by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the "independent and quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions" http://www.incb.org/. INCB reports that the supply of opiates is greatly in excess of demand. [8] For a longer analysis of this discussion see Chouvy, Pierre-Arnaud, "Licensing Afghanistan’s opium: solution or fallacy?" Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 2 (2) – Spring 2008. and Grare, Frédéric. Anatomy of a Fallacy: The Senlis Council and Narcotics in Afghanistan. Working Paper Number 34, The Centre for International Governance Innovation. February 2008. http://www.cigionline.org/
The British government has given the go-ahead to the pharmaceutical company Macfarlan Smith (a Johnson Matthey company) to cultivate opium poppies in England for medicinal reasons. This move is well-received by British farmers, with a major opium poppy field based in Didcot, England. [9]
[edit] Use as food
See also poppy seed dishes and poppy milk
Polish makowiec cake. The dark filling is made mainly from poppy seeds.The seeds of the poppy are widely used in and on many food items such as bagels, bialys, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form poppyseed oil, which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for oil-based paints. The primary flavor compound is 2-pentylfuran.[10]
The seeds themselves contain very low levels of opiates[1].
Poppy seed production in tonnes (2006)
Source: FAOSTAT[11]
Czech Republic 31,591 38 %
Turkey 30,187 36 %
France 5,500 7 %
Hungary 4,798 6 %
Germany 2,700 3 %
Austria 2,663 3 %
Romania 1,500 2 %
Netherlands 1,300 2 %
Other countries 3,196 4 %
World total 83,435 100 %
The sum does not equal 100 % due to rounding
[edit] Ornamental cultivation
Many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations. They are also sold dried for dried flower arrangements. This is technically illegal in the United States, but this is not generally enforced unless the plants are being sold for drug production.[1]
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 Papaver somniferum was addressed by a UN resolution "to fight the international trade in illicit opium poppy seeds" on July 28, 1998.
[edit] History
Use of the opium poppy predates written history. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient Sumerian artifacts (ca. 4000 BC). The opium poppy was also known to the ancient Greeks, from whom it gained its modern name of opium. Remains have been discovered at sites such as Kalapodi and Kastanas.[12]
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.[12]
Many modern writers, particularly in the nineteenth century, have written on the opium poppy and its effects, notably L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Thomas de Quincey in Confessions of an English Opium Eater
The French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz used an opium hallucination for the program of his Symphonie Fantastique. In this work, a young artist overdoses on opium and experiences a series of visions of his unrequited love.
[edit] Sources and notes
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Papaver somniferum
[edit] Inline citations
^ a b c d e "Poppy law" on Erowid.org
^ How potent are the major culinary (spicerack) varieties such as McCormick? from poppies.org
^ dea.gov
^ Hogshire, Jim, "Opium for the Masses"
^ Making opium tea
^ Poppy tea information on Erowid.org
^ The painkilling fields: England's opium poppies that tackle the NHS morphine crisis, Press release, 2007-15-09.
^ International Narcotics Control Board, 2004, Report 2004, Vienna: International Narcotics Control Board: 23.
^ Review of undertakings by Macfarlan Smith Limited
^ Yiu H. Hui, Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering. CRC Press 2006. ISBN 0849398487
^ "FAOSTAT". http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567. Retrieved on 2008-07-20.
^ a b History at Poppies International
[edit] General references
The Heroin Harvest
Comprehensive profile for Papaver somniferum from MaltaWildPlants.com
Opium FAQ v1.0 from Opioids.com
Opium Poppy Cultivation and Heroin Processing in Southeast Asia from the School of Pacific and Asian Studies
"Downward Spiral - Banning Opium in Afghanistan and Burma", Transnational Institute TNI, Debate Paper, June 2005
[edit] Photos
The Papaver somniferum Photo Gallery
Photos of opium poppy fields in France on www.geopium.org
Photos of opium poppies (in bloom, lanced, dried, with seeds) on www.geopium.org
Opium Poppy fields of North Tasmania
Photo by Tom Kramer
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_poppy"
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Opium Poppy
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Papaver
Species: P. somniferum
Binomial name
Papaver somniferum
L.
The Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the type of poppy from which opium and many refined opiates, including heroine, morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine, are extracted. The binomial name means, loosely, the "sleep-bringing poppy", referring to its narcotic properties. The seeds are important food items, and contain healthy oils used worldwide in the culinary arts. The plant itself is valuable for ornamental purposes.
Contents [hide]
1 Varieties
2 Legality
3 Poppies as medicine
4 Use as food
5 Ornamental cultivation
6 History
7 Sources and notes
7.1 Inline citations
7.2 General references
7.3 Photos
[edit] Varieties
Papaver somniferum is a species of plant with many sub-groups or varieties. Colors of the flower vary widely, as do other physical characteristics such as number and shape of petals, number of pods, production of morphine, etc.
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.
A few of the varieties, notably the Norman and Przemko varieties, have low morphine content (less than one percent), but have much higher concentrations of other alkaloids. Most varieties, however, including those most popular for ornamental use or seed production, have a higher morphine content, with the average content being 10%.[1][2]
[edit] Legality
In the United States, opium is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition, "Opium poppy and poppy straw" are also prohibited.[3] However, this is not typically enforced for poppies grown or sold for ornamental or food purposes.[1] There is a common misconception that there is a clear distinction between poppies useful for opium extraction and ornamental or food poppies. It is not difficult to manufacture opium tea with a high morphine content from opium flowers readily available at flower shops.[4][5][6]
Opium poppy cultivation in the United Kingdom does not need a licence, however, a licence is required for those wishing to extract opium for medicinal products.[7] The seeds themselves contain very low levels of opiates.[1] However, 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 who tested positive with only 2 poppy seed bagels. As a result, the US standard for urinalysis raised the threshold for a positive result by a considerable amount.[citation needed] However, many labs have not implemented the increased detection threshold and many believe that the new threshold is too low.
[edit] Poppies as medicine
Commercial poppy cultivation in France
Capsule of Papaver somniferum showing latex (opium) exuding from incisionIn 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.
A recent initiative to extend opium production for medicinal purposes called Poppy for Medicine was launched by The Senlis Council which proposes 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" [1]). 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. Interestingly, Senlis is on record advocating reintroduction of poppy into areas of Afghanistan, specifically Kunduz, which has been poppy free for some time.
The Senlis proposal is based in part on the assertion that there is an acute global shortage of opium poppy-based medicines some of which (morphine) are on the World Health Organisation's list of essential drugs as they are the most effective way of relieving severe pain. This assertion is contradicted by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the "independent and quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions" http://www.incb.org/. INCB reports that the supply of opiates is greatly in excess of demand. [8] For a longer analysis of this discussion see Chouvy, Pierre-Arnaud, "Licensing Afghanistan’s opium: solution or fallacy?" Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 2 (2) – Spring 2008.
The British government has given the go-ahead to the pharmaceutical company Macfarlan Smith (a Johnson Matthey company) to cultivate opium poppies in England for medicinal reasons. This move is well-received by British farmers, with a major opium poppy field based in Didcot, England. [9]
[edit] Use as food
See also poppy seed dishes and poppy milk
Polish makowiec cake. The dark filling is made mainly from poppy seeds.The seeds of the poppy are widely used in and on many food items such as bagels, bialys, muffins and cakes. The seeds can be pressed to form poppyseed oil, which can be used in cooking, or as a carrier for oil-based paints. The primary flavor compound is 2-pentylfuran.[10]
The seeds themselves contain very low levels of opiates[1].
Poppy seed production in tonnes (2006)
Source: FAOSTAT[11]
Czech Republic 31,591 38 %
Turkey 30,187 36 %
France 5,500 7 %
Hungary 4,798 6 %
Germany 2,700 3 %
Austria 2,663 3 %
Romania 1,500 2 %
Netherlands 1,300 2 %
Other countries 3,196 4 %
World total 83,435 100 %
The sum does not equal 100 % due to rounding
[edit] Ornamental cultivation
Many seed companies and nurseries grow and sell live plants and seeds in many highly beautiful variations. They are also sold dried for dried flower arrangements. This is technically illegal in the United States, but this is not generally enforced unless the plants are being sold for drug production.[1]
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 Papaver somniferum was addressed by a UN resolution "to fight the international trade in illicit opium poppy seeds" on July 28, 1998.
[edit] History
Use of the opium poppy predates written history. Images of opium poppies have been found in ancient Sumerian artifacts (ca. 4000 BC). The opium poppy was also known to the ancient Greeks, from whom it gained its modern name of opium. Remains have been discovered at sites such as Kalapodi and Kastanas.[12]
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.[12]
Many modern writers, particularly in the nineteenth century, have written on the opium poppy and its effects, notably L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Thomas de Quincey in Confessions of an English Opium Eater
The French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz used an opium hallucination for the program of his Symphonie Fantastique. In this work, a young artist overdoses on opium and experiences a series of visions of his unrequited love.
[edit] Sources and notes
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Papaver somniferum
[edit] Inline citations
^ a b c d e "Poppy law" on Erowid.org
^ How potent are the major culinary (spicerack) varieties such as McCormick? from poppies.org
^ dea.gov
^ Hogshire, Jim, "Opium for the Masses"
^ Making opium tea
^ Poppy tea information on Erowid.org
^ The painkilling fields: England's opium poppies that tackle the NHS morphine crisis, Press release, 2007-15-09.
^ International Narcotics Control Board, 2004, Report 2004, Vienna: International Narcotics Control Board: 23.
^ Review of undertakings by Macfarlan Smith Limited
^ Yiu H. Hui, Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering. CRC Press 2006. ISBN 0849398487
^ "FAOSTAT". http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567. Retrieved on 2008-07-20.
^ a b History at Poppies International
[edit] General references
The Heroin Harvest
Comprehensive profile for Papaver somniferum from MaltaWildPlants.com
Opium FAQ v1.0 from Opioids.com
Opium Poppy Cultivation and Heroin Processing in Southeast Asia from the School of Pacific and Asian Studies
"Downward Spiral - Banning Opium in Afghanistan and Burma", Transnational Institute TNI, Debate Paper, June 2005
[edit] Photos
The Papaver somniferum Photo Gallery
Photos of opium poppy fields in France on www.geopium.org
Photos of opium poppies (in bloom, lanced, dried, with seeds) on www.geopium.org
Opium Poppy fields of North Tasmania
Photo by Tom Kramer
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_poppy"
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