Poppy varieties?

Nature Talk
1

Are giant rattler poppies used for medicine? I read it is and then read also it isnt.

2

Giant rattle poppy is a breadseed variety. In a species with such specialization in cultivars, we would expect the best medicinal properties in the cultivars selected for that purpose. A concern that comes to mind regards legality: cultivars with higher concentrations of the medicinal compounds would have more potential for illicit drug production. The medicine produced would be an opiate, which is not something to be made or used without the proper precautions.

Breadseed poppies, on the other hand, would be selected for lower concentrations, first and foremost so that the poppyseeds can be legally sold and consumed rather than being a controlled substance.

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3

I might be reading it wrong but you said in the beginning we would expect the best for medicinal use because it’s specialized but then you said breadseed poppy has low concentrations of medicinal chemicals?

4

There are several poppy cultivars with different levels of the medicinal chemicals.
Breadseed poppies are low on that scale, and not usually chosen for medicinal purposes.
The seeds of more potent cultivars are used in opiate production, and even the seeds are illegal to sell, purchase or own. These cultivars are what he was referring to by being the best for medicinal use.

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5

Opium is harvested from the sap from the developing fruit - not the seeds?
I read that it can also be harvested from dry ‘poppy straw’.

6

I admit I didn’t look it up, but opiates aren’t something to mess around with!

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7

The ordinary wild Papaver somniferum is a common weed around the world. It may seem odd that there is so much opium poppy around but in practise it doesn’t cause any problems. Pharmaceutical opiates come from a special genetically engineered cultivar, mostly grown in secure locations in Tasmania.

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8

A lot of extremely common plants and fungi have all kinds of crazy psychedelic and other effects, but since most people are “nature illiterate” and disconnected from nature, most individual organisms (of this weedy, common type) just live their lives unmolested

9

Poppies are also the source of Papaverine, which has some useful vasodilatory effects but is famous for treatment of erectile dysfunction.