Opium poppy

The scientific name of Opium poppy: Papaver somniferum

Name of Opium poppy in different languages:-

English: Opium

Malayalam: Karuppu കറുപ്പ്

Plant description of Opium poppy:

Opium poppy – Papaver somniferum is an annual herb, growing about 100cm tall. All parts of the plant are strongly glacious, and greyish-green, and the stem and leaves are sparsely covered with hairs. The leaves are grayish green, lobed. The flowers are white to petals deep red; and grow up to 120mm in diameter. Fruit is hairless and rounded. All parts of the plant emit white latex when wounded, which contains opium.

Useful plant parts:

Flower capsule’s latex (Opium)

Medicinal uses:

relieving severe pain, preparing morphine or codeine

Chemical content:

Alkaloid (Morphine), Sedative

The opium poppy is one of the ingredients in Ayurveda medicines like-

• Ashtaskhari Gulika
• Chargeryadi Gulika
• MarmaVattu
• MadhumehariYog tablet
• Ponkaradi Gulka