opium poppy


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opium poppy

n.
An annual plant (Papaver somniferum) native to southwest Asia, having grayish-green leaves and variously colored flowers and cultivated for its edible seeds and as the principal source of opium.

opium poppy

Herbal medicine
An annual, the unripe seeds of which contain alkaloids, including morphine, codeine and papaverine. The poppy has been used for than 5000 years in cultural rituals for inducing euphoria and reducing anxiety and inhibitions; the alkaloids are analgesic, antispasmodic and antitussive, and have been used for pain, colic and asthmatic attacks. Ripe poppy seeds have virtually no alkaloids and are often used as condiments.
 
Toxicity
Opium can cause fatal respiratory paralysis.

opium

the air-dried milky exudation from unripe capsules of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum or its variety P. somniferum album. Opium contains some 25 alkaloids, the most important being morphine (from which heroin is derived), narcotine, codeine, papaverine, thebaine and narceine; the alkaloids are used for their narcotic and analgesic effect. It is poisonous in large doses. Because it is highly addictive, opium production and cultivation of opium poppies is prohibited by most nations by international agreement, and its sale or possession for other than medical or veterinary uses is strictly prohibited by law.
camphorated tincture of opium
see paregoric.
opium poppy
see papaversomniferum.
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References in periodicals archive ?
Pablo Amilcar Sandoval Ballesteros, president of Morena in Guerrero, said his party has been a strong proponent of legalizing marijuana, and that a debate on planting of opium poppy is necessary to ensure that a responsible plan is put forward.
Guerrero governor proposes legal production of opium poppy for medical purposes
In past years, surges in opium poppy cultivation have been met by a coordinated response from the US government and coalition partners, which has led to a temporary decline in levels of opium production," Sopko said in a letter to the secretary of state, John Kerry, the defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, and other top US officials.
Afghan opium poppy cultivation hits all-time high
Illicit cultivation and production of opium poppy was thought to make up about 15 percent of Afghanistan's Gross Domestic Product, which in 2012 stood at about $20bln.
UN: Record High Afghan Opium Expected
The enzymatic synthesis of morphine in opium poppy has been almost completely describe by M.
The study of transient co-over expression of Cor and TYDC genes on morphine accumulation in Papaver somniferum L
Acting on information, detectives from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) raided the agricultural lands and found that where local farmers were cultivating opium poppy on either side of the road at Mohol and Wanjara villages in Maharashtra,
Police find poppies on farm, eight arrested
The opium poppy probably reached China about the 7th century A.
OPIUM - A HARMFUL DRUG
The Islamic Republic made a major effort to halt opium poppy cultivation inside Iran decades ago and succeeded within just a few years.
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Afghanistancultivated 119,000 hectares of illicit opium poppy in 2010, which yielded a potential opium gum production of 3,200 metric tonnes, it said.
Afghanistan seeing gross currency outflows: US
Drug crops have helped finance insurgents and encourage corruption, particularly the opium poppy crop in the south where the Taliban control cultivation and smuggling routes.
Drug abuse growing in Afghanistan
Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine, thus opening doors to alternate methods of producing these effective painkillers either by manufacturing them in a lab or controlling the production of these compounds in the plant.
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Opium poppy cultivation fell by more than 20 percent in Afghanistan in the past year, a United Nations survey said Wednesday.
Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation down by 22%: UN
FOUR INDIAN men yesterday appeared in court in connection with last month's opium poppy plant find in a Morphou district village.
Poppy growers charged

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