Prickly Poppy
- Prickly poppies have prickly or spiny leaves and prickly fruit that are coloured green.
- Prickly poppy plants have been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of conditions, and they have also been used as a drug that is smoked.
- Prickly poppies are sometimes used as a garden plant, but they are an invasive weed in some countries.
Can white prickly poppy be used as a medicine?
Only a serious, well-trained herbalist should ever consider using White Prickly Poppy as a medicine. In this country, the plant’s prickliness and the sap’s bitterness basically limit its use as a medicinal. This is not so in India, however.
What kind of plant is a prickly poppy?
Prickly poppy, (genus Argemone), also called argemony, genus of approximately 30 species of North American and West Indian plants (one species is endemic to Hawaii) belonging to the poppy family (Papaveraceae). Prickly poppies are cultivated as garden ornamentals but frequently become troublesome weeds when growing wild.
What are the medicinal uses of poppy?
The medicinal uses of poppy were described by the ancient Greeks and opium, as an addictive agent, was identified by Arabic physicians more than 900 years ago. Because of the wide distribution of the opium poppy, its use has been recognized by most major cultures.
How do you take care of a prickly poppy?
Prickly poppy flowers need full sunlight. The plant thrives in poor sandy or rocky soil but adapts to nearly any well-drained soil. Keep the plants moist until the roots are established; thereafter, it is drought-tolerant and requires moisture only during hot, dry weather.
Are prickly poppies edible?
Prickly Poppy Flowers: Important Considerations Toxicity: All parts of Mexican prickly poppy are toxic if ingested, especially the seeds.
Is prickly poppy poisonous?
Oh those prickles! The southwestern prickly poppy protects itself with sharp little spines that cover its leaves, stems, and fruits. And if that fails to deter predators, its broken leaves and stems exude a poisonous sticky alkaloid sap.
Is Mexican prickly poppy edible?
Mexican prickly poppy is poisonous to livestock, but is not readily eaten, so there are relatively few cases of poison- ing from this plant. However, plants in hay have caused poisoning. Seeds are its most toxic part, but the entire plant contains toxic elements.
Which poppy is edible?
Wild poppies are edible, the flowers can be used fresh in salads or in baked goods (try them in place of calendula in my calendula and thyme shortbread cookies). If you are going to use them fresh, it's best to pick them right before use, as they wilt and fall apart very quickly.
What eats prickly poppy?
The seeds of the white prickly poppy are said to be an excellent source of food for quail and other birds because of their high oil content.
Where does prickly poppy grow?
MexicoArgemone mexicana (Mexican poppy, Mexican prickly poppy, flowering thistle, cardo or cardosanto) is a species of poppy found in Mexico and now widely naturalized in many parts of the world.
Is Mexican poppy poisonous to humans?
Mexican poppy is poisonous to stock and humans, but is rarely eaten by stock due to its unpalatable bitter yellow sap. Contamination of stock feed with seeds of Mexican poppy may result in poisoning. It also can invade crops such as sugarcane, cereals and vegetables.
What does a prickly poppy look like?
Most prickly poppies are annuals or perennials and range from 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) in height. The plants are bristly stemmed with lobed spiny leaves. The showy flowers are typically white or yellow and have wrinkled petals and a ring of numerous stamens. In bud the three sepals end in hornlike spines.
Is a prickly poppy a thistle?
Young Mexican prickly poppies are often mistaken for thistles because their toothed and prickly leaf margins give them a thistle-like appearance (Figure 2). One recognizable difference is that Mexican prickly poppy exudes a yellowish milky sap when its stem is broken, while thistles do not.
Are poppy seeds poisonous to humans?
When taken by mouth: Poppy seed is LIKELY SAFE for most adults when taken in amounts commonly found in food. In some people, eating poppy seed can cause allergies, but this is uncommon. Poppy seed is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken in larger amounts used for medical purposes.
Is poppy seeds good for brain?
Improves Cognitive Functioning Proper supply of oxygen and red blood cells to the brain regulates production of neurotransmitters and increases the cognitive functioning, making poppy seeds one of the brain foods that help you concentrate and reduce the risk of diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's .
Can you eat the seeds from all poppies?
All parts of poppies except the seeds are toxic, but they can be easily contaminated if not prepared properly. This is something that should only be done by a reputable company, so it is important to only buy poppy seeds for use in baking from one of these companies.
Is Mexican poppy poisonous to humans?
Mexican poppy is poisonous to stock and humans, but is rarely eaten by stock due to its unpalatable bitter yellow sap. Contamination of stock feed with seeds of Mexican poppy may result in poisoning. It also can invade crops such as sugarcane, cereals and vegetables.
Do poppy plants have spikes?
Reddish-orange (also known as poppy red) sometimes with a dark blotch at the base of the petals Orangey-red sometimes with a dark blotch at the base of the petals. Seed capsule Elongated with spikes.
What is prickly poppy leaf?
Most prickly poppies are annuals or perennials and range from 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 feet) in height. The plants are bristly stemmed with lobed spiny leaves. The showy flowers are typically white or yellow and have wrinkled petals and a ring of numerous stamens. In bud the three sepals end in hornlike spines.
Is a prickly poppy a thistle?
Young Mexican prickly poppies are often mistaken for thistles because their toothed and prickly leaf margins give them a thistle-like appearance (Figure 2). One recognizable difference is that Mexican prickly poppy exudes a yellowish milky sap when its stem is broken, while thistles do not.
Mexican Prickly Poppy Uses
Growing Mexican prickly poppies is easy, and prickly poppy flowers are pretty, but keep in mind that the plant is extremely prickly and may not be a good choice for places where children play. It may not work well along sidewalks, driveways, and walking paths.
Prickly Poppy Flowers: Important Considerations
Toxicity: All parts of Mexican prickly poppy are toxic if ingested, especially the seeds. The plant’s level of toxicity depends on several factors, including the weight, age, size, and physical condition of the person. Children are most susceptible. Toxicity also depends on the season and the plant’s stage of growth.
Growing Mexican Prickly Poppies
Mexican prickly poppy is best started by planting seeds directly in the garden, just before the last frost in spring. You can also start seeds indoors five to six weeks before the last average frost in spring. The plant doesn’t like its roots to be disturbed, so planting seeds in peat pots is likely to be more successful.
Argemone Mexicana Common Names
Argemone mexicana is called Satyanashi in Hindi and Brahmathandu | Kudiyotti in Tamil, Brahmadandi in Telugu and Swarnakshiri in Sanskrit but in our village we call it Sirangu Nayagam.
Argemone Mexican Traditional Uses
This wonderful plant has anti bacterial, anti inflammatory, anti diabetic, anti cancer, analgesic, hallucinating and sedative properties.
Argemone Mexicana Seeds & Oil
In fact a lot of harm has been done to humans especially in India by this plant as the seeds and the oil are used as an adulterant. The seeds of argenmone mexicana closely resemble mustard seeds so sometimes the mustard seeds are adulterated with argemone seeds.
Argemone Mexicana Side Effects
Internal consumption of argemone mexicana in large doses will lead to sever headache, burning sensation in the eyes, eruptions in the face, nausea, fever, etc. You can read the toxicology report done on healthy people using different doses of argemone mexicana here.
Clinical Overview
Poppy extracts have traditionally been used to relax smooth muscle tone, making them potentially useful in the treatment of diarrhea and abdominal cramping. The extract has been used as a sedative analgesic and antitussive. Poppy seed oil is used as a vehicle for chemotherapy delivery and to diagnose fistulae.
Botany
Seventy to 100 different varieties of the poppy exist. The opium poppy is a small annual, but other poppy species may be annual, biennial, or perennial. The bright showy flowers of the genus Papaver range in color from white to deep reds and purples.
History
The earliest accounts of the use of poppy preparations date to the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia, where the plant was used medicinally and was known as hul gil (the plant of joy). The medicinal uses of poppy were described by the ancient Greeks and opium, as an addictive agent, was identified by Arabic physicians more than 900 years ago.
Chemistry
The chemistry of the genus Papaver is well known. When the unripened seed capsule is scored, a milky latex exudes. Calixto 2000, Simon 1984 The dried latex is known as opium, which contains more than 30 alkaloids. Duke 1985 The most important of these alkaloids are morphine (20%), noscapine (5%), codeine (2%), papaverine (2%), and thebaine (1%).
Uses and Pharmacology
The pharmacologic effects of morphine alkaloids differ widely. Codeine and morphine are sedative analgesics and can relax smooth muscle tone, making them useful in the treatment of diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Codeine and its derivatives are used as antitussives. Papaverine relaxes involuntary smooth muscle and increases cerebral blood flow.
Dosing
Clinical trials are lacking to guide dosage. Single oral doses of poppy seed 250 g have been used diagnostically. Schwaibold 2001
Interactions
None well documented. A case report exists of a fatality in which the benzodiazepine fenazepam was used concurrently with poppy seed tea. Bailey 2010
