Poppy is an amazingly beautiful flower that has earned an ambiguous reputation due to its conflicting properties. Even in ancient Greece, people loved and revered this plant for its ability to calm the mind and cure diseases. The benefits and harms of poppy have been studied for centuries, so today so much information has been gathered about it. Our distant ancestors also resorted to these mysterious flowers. Unfortunately, today few people know about the healing effects that this plant has on the human body. People who abuse opium have created a terrifying image of a beautiful flower. Because of this, poppy is used mainly for confectionery purposes, although many pharmaceutical companies include some of its substances in their preparations.
Poppy Features
Poppy grows throughout the CIS, where it has more than 70 species. In total, on our planet you can find more than 100 varieties of this beautiful flower. Its stems are usually straight, and the leaves can be very diverse: from narrow and covered with many small hairs, to wider and smoother varieties. There is a poppy of different colors and shades. The most common red flowers that are familiar to everyone, but you can find other options - pink, purple, white, yellow.
After flowering, seed bolls are formed in place of the flowers, having a characteristic appearance that is difficult to confuse with something else. As they ripen, a fair amount of small black seeds are formed in them, which are known to all lovers of poppy buns. It is important to remember that only fully ripened seeds are edible.
Structure
About half the mass of the seed is occupied by fats. They are also rich in protein and sugars, which makes poppy seed a nutritious product. In addition, it contains useful trace elements: potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, copper and vitamins of group E, PP. The composition of the petals includes alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, organic acids, anthocyanins, as well as a fair amount of fatty oil and even vitamin C. In poppy milk, you can find alkaloids such as papaverine, codeine, morphine, narcein. In folk medicine, all parts of a plant are used: from roots to flowers. It is the unique composition that gives poppy healing properties.
Useful properties of poppy
Contrary to popular belief, this mysterious flower can be used not only as a food or drug. The medicinal properties of poppy have been known to mankind for a long time. Then people preferred to treat diseases with plants, rather than the suspicious inventions of chemists. Poppy seeds can normalize digestion, relieve diarrhea and dysentery. They can treat a disease that has become a real scourge of our time - insomnia. Also, this natural remedy can eliminate some respiratory diseases.
Oncological diseases are another problem that poppy can confront. The benefits and harms of this plant are due to the same substances. They can both cheer up and return the joy of life, and take away everything from a person who has become addicted to poppy.
Harm
Despite the fact that the benefits and harms of poppy depend only on the rationality of the person using this tool, many of its species are prohibited for cultivation. It is this beautiful flower that serves as the basis for the preparation of the most dangerous opiates of our time. Those who are not fortunate enough to become addicted to poppies are doomed to a difficult life, filled with suffering and pain. The longer a person is influenced by opium, the greater the place in his life he occupies. Over time, the addict ceases to value anything other than the coveted potion. Relatives and friends no longer have any significance, the main goal in life is the extraction and use of poppy.
In the absence of a drug, a dependent person experiences flu-like symptoms. Chills and weakness begin, the body is filled with painful sensations, bringing terrible torment to the addict. At the same time, the same thing happens in a person’s mind that seriously aggravates the situation. In order to stop the torment, people are ready to commit any crime. Unfortunately, the benefits and harms of poppies are judged precisely by these unpleasant personalities. Thus, the healing properties of this flower are often ignored.
Poppy food. Benefit and harm
The use of poppy seeds in cooking has a rich history. With him make pastries, rolls, bread, all kinds of sweets and cookies. At the same time, it does not lose its beneficial properties and supplies the human body with treasured calories. 100 g of poppy contains about 500 kcal. In addition, the seed retains all the beneficial properties. Of course, you should not take it as a medicine for drying with poppy seeds. The benefits and harms of such goodies are disproportionate, since the amount of seed in a confectionery is usually small. However, even a small amount of poppy can have a beneficial effect on the body.
Poppy seeds used in food should be fully ripened and dried so that there are no narcotic substances left in it. Unfortunately, manufacturers of confectionery poppy do not always follow this principle, seeking to maximize profits. Therefore, in some batches of poppy seeds, opium is found. Fortunately, this happens infrequently, and the content of narcotic substances is so low that it can hardly harm anyone's health. Do not be afraid of buns with poppy seeds, because it is certainly more useful than most substances used in the food industry. Leaves, roots and stems of a plant are suitable only for medicinal purposes and are not accepted as food. For this purpose, only poppy seeds are used. The benefits and harms of this delicious treat are known to everyone, as well as its wonderful taste.
Contraindications
Poppy, like any other plant, has contraindications. You should not use it if you have heart failure, asthma, or alcohol problems. Also, given the astringent properties of poppy seeds, you should not take products with it for constipation. Many sleeping pills are made from a beautiful flower. They can be addictive with constant use or harm to health. Therefore, you should not use such medications without consulting a doctor.
The benefits and harms of poppy have been actively discussed recently. New laws are being introduced to protect people from a terrible drug. This useful plant is often mentioned only in a negative way. But its healing properties could help many people. One can only hope that in the future people will learn to use this medicinal plant for its intended purpose.