opium poppy

opium poppy

(Ben Cao Tu Jing)

[synonym] Papaver seed poppy (materia medica), Yumi, Xianggu, mizao, nangzi (Kaibao materia medica), Yingsu (Diannan materia medica).

[source] it is the seed of Papaver.

Papaver poppy

Herbs annual or biennial, stem erect, height 60-150 cm. The leaves are alternate, the lower part of the stem has short petiole, the upper part has no petiole; the leaves are long oval, 6-30 cm long and 3.5-20 cm wide, the apex is sharp, the base is round or nearly heart-shaped and embraces the stem, the edge has irregular coarse teeth, or is pinnately lobed, both sides are powdered into gray green. Flowers terminal, pedunculate, stem 12-14 cm long; sepals 2, oblong, caducous; petals 4, sometimes double, round or broadly ovate, 5-7 cm in length and width, white, pink or purplish red; stamens many, anthers oblong, yellow; pistil 1, ovary long, square ovate, no style, stigmas 7-15, arranged radially. Capsule ovoid globose or elliptic, yellowish brown when ripe, porose. The seeds are numerous, slightly kidney shaped, with obvious reticulation and brown color on the surface. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruit period is from June to August.

It is native to southern Europe and Asia.

The tender seedling (poppy seedling), milk (opium) and shell (Papaver shell) of this plant are also used for medicine. Please refer to the special section for details.

[chemical constituents] seeds contain a small amount of papaverine, morphine and trace narcotine, while germinated seeds contain a considerable amount of narcotine; according to another report, they also contain morphine, codeine and tibain. The seeds also contain 11 oxo acid.

[nature and taste] 1. Kaibao materia medica: "sweet, flat, non-toxic. "

② "Ben Cao Tu Jing": "cold nature. "

[function indications] for nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, prolapse.

① "The book of Materia Medica" says: "it is mainly used to promote the general mood, expel pathogenic heat, and treat nausea and phlegm stagnation in the chest. "

② "Gangmu": "diarrhea, Runzao. "

③ Yilin zuanyao: "in addition to stomach heat. "

[usage and dosage] take orally: decoct soup, 1-2 yuan; or take pills.

[taboo] "to match materia medica:" eat more, benefit two stools, move bladder Qi. "

[formula selection] 1. Diet for nausea: white poppy, rice, ginseng powder, potato, 5-inch long. Add a little ginger juice and salt. Mix well. Take it in two parts. Don't eat it in the morning or in the evening. Don't take Tang Wan. (the method of poppy porridge in the food and medicine prescription of the Southern Tang Dynasty)

② Treatment of red and white dysentery: Poppy shell (remove the shell, dilingjing, roast yellow), poppy seed (stir fry to make it slightly black). On the same fine powder, refining honey for the pill, such as chicken head big, each take ten to fifteen pills. Red dysentery, licorice soup; white dysentery, dry ginger soup; diarrhea, rice drink. Children, pills such as corn large, the size of the amount of addition and subtraction of the service. (Bai Yi Xuan Fang)