Poppy: useful properties and contraindications, use in traditional medicine and cooking. The benefits and harms of poppy

In nature, there are several dozen varieties of poppy. Some ornamental varieties are bred specifically for growing in flower beds and front gardens. But even as a result of selection, the plant does not lose opium properties. AT recent times due to the spread of drug addiction, the flower received the status "persona non grata". Sometimes food poppy producers are subjected to undeserved persecution. However, law enforcement agencies have no complaints about the product itself. Mature seeds do not contain narcotic substances. It's all about foreign impurities, the so-called poppy straw, which cannot be eliminated with the most careful processing of grains. However, the presence of husks in packaged products is so small that the ban on the sale of confectionery poppy is only bewildering.

Mac, his beneficial features and contraindications attracted the attention of scholars in the 16th century. According to the results of the studies, official recommendations for the use of poppy in various fields of medicine have appeared. The plant has been used by the people since time immemorial as hypnotic, analgesic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory agent. Decoctions were treated

• fever
• eliminated swelling of the joints,
• cleared the skin of warty growths.

The grains served as a condiment for various dishes used in bakery. Poppy seed oil is considered one of the most valuable vegetable fats.

The composition of poppy and its calorie content

Flower petals are rich in fats (up to 44%), anthocyanins, flavonoids, glycosides, organic acids. Poppy color is a source of vitamin C, a high molecular weight gum carbohydrate, biologically active substances. AT chemical structure The plant has more than 20 kinds of alkaloids, including morphine, codeine, opium, and papaverine.

With medical point vision, is of particular value milky juice of unripe poppy pods, which serves as a raw material for the manufacture of painkillers, sedatives and antitussive drugs.

Only seeds are used for food, the main share in their composition is occupied by fats (up to 77%), about 13% are proteins and 10% are carbohydrates. Calorie content of 100 grams of food poppy ~ 556 kcal.

Maca Benefits - 9 Health Benefits

1. Analgesic effect

   One of the main advantages of poppy is the presence in its composition of morphine, an anesthetic widely used in medicine. The presence of mature poppy seeds in food will help to cope with headaches, speed up the healing of small wounds, start recovery processes in the body after illness.

2. Strengthening immunity

   To increase the body's resistance various diseases It is important to ensure the intake of microelements and vitamins with food. The poppy seed contains a significant amount of zinc, which is involved in the reproduction of white blood cells, reinforces defensive reaction to the introduction of bacteria, viruses and other foreign agents.

3. Pressure stabilization

   Anesthetic properties Maca and the potassium contained in the seeds ease tension blood vessels which helps to reduce blood pressure to prevent the formation of blood clots. Poppy consumption reduces the risk of atherosclerosis, which often causes heart attacks and strokes.

4. Activation of erythropoiesis

   Poppy seeds are rich in iron, with the entry of which into the body the composition of the blood improves, the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells rises, and the flow of oxygen to tissues and organs is ensured. Allowing yourself to enjoy pies and cheesecakes with poppy seeds, you will get not only pleasure from tasty food but also a powerful boost of energy.

5. vision improvement

   The healing properties of Maca reduce the risk of macular degeneration of the retina, keeping our eyes healthy until old age. The presence of antioxidant substances, minerals and vitamins in poppy seeds contributes to the prevention of pathological and age-related changes in the retina.

Zinc deficiency in the body leads to the development diabetes 2 types. To protect yourself from this disease, which is becoming more widespread in many countries of the world, include food poppy in your diet. The seeds can be used to make sweet pastries and as a seasoning for meat or vegetable dishes.

6. Increasing bone strength

   Poppy seeds contain a lot of calcium, which benefits our bones and teeth. It is known that demineralization of bone tissue occurs with age. The use of dishes flavored with poppy seeds will stop this process, reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other negative changes in the body caused by calcium deficiency.

7. Stimulation of digestion

   The presence of plant fibers in poppy seeds regulates the functioning of the stomach, improves intestinal motility, and eliminates constipation. Infusions of crushed seeds have medicinal properties, relieve inflammation and pain in the abdomen in case of poisoning accompanied by diarrhea.

8. Strengthening the nervous system

   Minerals and vitamins in maca positive influence for stabilization nervous processes, prevent mental disorders improve mood, help to successfully cope with stressful situations. This has a positive effect on the emotional and general health person.

How to take poppy

Pharmaceutical preparations containing poppy alkaloids (opium, codeine, morphine or papaverine) should be taken under strict medical supervision. The necessary dosage and duration of the course of treatment is determined by the specialist after a detailed examination of the patient's health status.

AT folk medicine dried poppy leaves and stems are used in the form of teas and decoctions as an analgesic, expectorant and sleeping pills. Maca infusions are effective in eliminating intestinal disorders, inflammatory processes in the bladder. It should be remembered that the plant is poisonous. Self-medication, instead of the expected benefit, can result in irreparable harm to the body.

The use of poppy seeds in cooking is absolutely safe. But it’s still not worth getting too carried away with this high-calorie product. Recommended daily allowance consumption of confectionery poppy is 100–135 g.

In the old days, dishes flavored with poppy seeds were served church holidays and great celebrations. Black grains were sprinkled on Easter and Christmas kutya, decorated wedding loaves, poppy seeds with honey served as a filling for sweet pies.

Russian Orthodox Church August 14 marks the feast day of the seven Old Testament martyrs Maccabees. On the same date, the First Honey Savior and the Feast of the Origin (wearing out) of the Honest Trees fall. Life-Giving Cross Lord's. Popularly, the name Maccabeus is associated with poppies, since in the middle of the last summer month the seeds ripen. On the eve of the holiday, housewives bake pies, gingerbread, rolls, using poppy seeds when kneading dough, preparing fillings and dressings. They start the morning meal with pancakes, to which poppy milk is served - seeds ground into flour and mixed with honey.

Poppy can be included in the daily menu by adding not a large number of in kefir or yogurt. fried in butter seeds are seasoned with pasta or spaghetti dishes, poppy seeds are used in baking yeast buns, shortbread cookies, biscuit cakes and pastries. To add a new savory flavor to baked meats or potatoes, try replacing the breadcrumbs with ground grains in a coffee grinder.

Poppy - harm and contraindications

Long-term use of opium or morphine causes persistent addiction Therefore, such drugs are dispensed exclusively by prescription and are under special control.

Similar medications do not appoint

• patients with oxygen starvation blood;
• suffering emphysema, bronchial asthma, liver diseases;
• persons abusing alcohol and drugs.

Food poppy, contrary to some claims, is not a drug, although it has a slight hypnotic effect. In this regard, you should not include dishes containing poppy seeds in the diet. babies under 2 years old and the elderly. A contraindication to the use of culinary poppy should be an individual intolerance to the product.

What else is useful?

Bright and attractive flowers can decorate any flower garden. But not always their usefulness is limited to decorative. At correct application many garden plants can prevent or even cure serious illness. Some of them are widely used in cooking. It is to such cultures that poppy, many decorative varieties of which are popular among gardeners.

Macs are herbaceous annuals or perennials which can reach one meter in height. Their flowers are especially bright and attractive, painted in red, yellow, cream and even black tones.

Traditional medicine experts have come to the conclusion that all parts of the poppy have medicinal qualities. Many years ago, it was used to make drinks that eliminate pain and have a hypnotic effect.

Basically, such funds were prepared from unripe fruits. this plant. And over time, scientists found out that they contain substances that can cause drug intoxication and strong addiction.

Therefore, poppy cultivation is now prohibited in many states, although ripened plant seeds can be freely purchased at grocery stores. They are not capable of harming the body.

Poppy seeds are the source healthy fat, sugars and proteins. They contain a number of vitamins represented by tocopherol, vitamin PP, as well as many minerals, including cobalt, copper, iron, phosphorus, sulfur and zinc.

From the seeds of some varieties of poppy get amazing healthy oil, which is used in cosmetology and perfumery production.

AT modern medicine on the basis of poppy, various pharmaceuticals who treat various pathologies from bronchitis to cancer. It is the poppy that underlies codeine (soothes cough), morphine (relieves pain), papaverine (relieves spasms). But most drugs with it are not commercially available, as they have narcotic qualities.

The use of poppy in traditional medicine

A decoction obtained from seeds has been used previously to optimize digestive processes. Also, funds with poppy seeds were used as antihelminthic drugs.

Both before and in modern world medicines based on such a plant are used as a sedative for bronchitis. Traditional medicine experts advise combining poppy seeds with honey, preparing decoctions, infusions and tinctures based on them. Such remedies will help to cope with pneumonia, hemorrhoids, liver ailments, catarrh of the stomach, overwork and insomnia.

In folk medicine, poppy is used not only in the form of seeds. The benefits of steamed poppy leaves or its green heads are also known. On the basis of such plant materials, compresses are prepared for diseases of the joints, as well as remedies for the external elimination of tumors and bruises.

Poppy leaves are used to rub warts. And in some countries, on their basis, they prepare remedies for fever, toning the body. Even our ancestors used poppy roots. They were suitable for preparing a decoction for headaches and for eliminating inflammation. sciatic nerve.

Among other things, poppy is widely used in cosmetology. The systematic use of masks and oils made from its seeds helps to make the skin healthy and well-groomed. Poppy oil is used to eliminate skin fatigue and to smooth wrinkles. It can also be of great benefit to the hair, preventing the split and restoring the hair along the entire length, as well as destroying dandruff.

Before using poppy for therapeutic purposes, readers of "Popular about Health" would not be out of place to consult a doctor. Indeed, under many conditions such herbal medicine contraindicated.

Thus, poppy seeds cannot be used to treat children under two years of age, the elderly and people with alcohol addiction. They cannot be used for bronchial asthma, cholelithiasis and the problem of chronic constipation.

Application in cooking

Poppy seeds are widely used in cooking. So, in India, various sauces are prepared on their basis. In some countries, such an additive is used in the preparation of traditional bread or biscuits.

In many European countries, poppy is used in cooking as a filling for cakes, various buns or pies. Bagels with poppy seeds are distinguished by an amazing and unforgettable taste. There are also recipes for making pasta with sweet poppy seed sauce.

In many European countries poppy is used as a spice in a variety of dishes. For example, in France, a sauce is prepared from its seeds, rubbing them with olive oil. This sauce is served with goose liver or fillet. In Japan, poppy seeds are added to many dishes, emphasizing their unusual, bright and aromatic taste.

And in Italy, not only poppy seeds are used in cooking, but also its flowers with stems. So, the stems are somewhat similar in taste to spinach. The flowers perfectly complement light aperitifs and first courses.

In Russia, poppy seeds have traditionally been used to make wedding cakes and Christmas kutya.

So ordinary poppy can bring significant health benefits and even diversify the diet.

The most valuable phytochemical components of poppy are linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids, as well as the most valuable alkaloids, the most significant of which are morphine, codeine and noscapine.

However, other compounds present in all parts of this plant, such as thebaine, narcein, papaverine, codamine and roadin, also contribute to the therapeutic and cosmetic effect.

Main therapeutic effect maca - soothing. And in the same way it acts on the skin - soothes it, relaxes, relieves irritation.

Poppy extract acts both as an emollient and powerful antioxidant: it helps to reduce the aggressive effect on the skin of free radicals responsible for the aging process.

Depending on the use, it can soften the skin or help add shine to the hair. California poppy leaf extract acts as an anti-aging ingredient, antioxidant, protective and relaxing agent.

It enhances natural protective functions skin, and also protects the cells of the epidermis and dermis from oxidation by increasing the activity of two organic antioxidant enzymes - superoxide dismutase and catalase.

In addition, it activates a protective protein, HSP70, which prevents damage caused by aggressive factors. environment, pollution, ultraviolet radiation, smoking, and reduces cellular stress of all layers of the epidermis.

Thus, California poppy leaf extract makes the skin stronger and helps it to counteract environmental stresses more effectively.

Poppy seed oil also acts as an emollient and moisturizer, significantly improves skin turgor and elasticity, improves skin barrier function, and reduces moisture loss.

This component provides protection to the skin, gives it softness, maintains its smooth and even texture. Penetrating deep, it activates lipid metabolism, supports local immunity, provides good hydration and is suitable for all skin types. It can be used as an additional sunscreen agent, and also reduces scalp dryness and improves hair condition.

Opium poppy seeds are also used for the production of exfoliants: gommages and scrubs based on them provide the most gentle removal of dry dead epidermal cells, restoring a healthy appearance of the skin and giving it a vibrant glow.

White poppy flower extract is used in the care of problem skin as an emollient with a slight astringent effect. oily and problem skin also needs nutrition, and this ingredient provides it without side effects like greasy shine and clogged pores.

To whom the poppy is shown

The main indications for the use of various extracts, oils or powders of poppy:

• Moisturizing and softening the skin.
• Fighting age-related changes skin.
• Detox and skin relaxation.
• Prevention of disorders of cellular metabolism.
• Cleansing the skin from the stratum corneum.

Poppy seed oil is considered an excellent medicine for damaged skin - it perfectly nourishes, saturates skin cells with moisture and promotes their regeneration. Poppy seed oil is also suitable for the care of dehydrated dry skin, it quickly eliminates peeling and a feeling of tightness, discomfort.

Used in scalp and hair care products, it restores hair damaged by perming or chemical treatments, evens out split ends, and gives hair a natural shine and shine.

To whom poppy is contraindicated

Poppy in cosmetics is absolutely safe and can be used even in products for children. Strict contraindication - individual hypersensitivity reaction.

Cosmetics containing poppy

Maca-based ingredients are widely used in the development of skin care products such as creams, masks, concentrates, lotions, tonics and make-up products. It is even added to baby lotions and diaper rash creams.

Poppy is also used in hair care products (shampoos, conditioners and styling), decorative cosmetics: few poppy seeds are included in lip balms, foundation cream and basics.

The opium poppy is considered the "native inhabitant" of Southwest Asia - it was from there that it spread to all continents. Today, the opium poppy and its other species are grown in many European countries, as well as in Turkey, Iran, India and China.

How cosmetic raw materials are used different types poppy - both the simple red poppy (Papaver rhoeas), a variety that has given rise to numerous cultivars with color variations, and the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) or rarer species such as the California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica) and the rare white rhomney ( Romneya coulteri), which is very whimsical, sun-loving, requires protection from the wind and does not tolerate transplanting very well.

How to grow decorative poppies from seeds?

Colorful symbols of summer, quivering, delicate, and at the same time so hardy, decorative poppies, leave no one indifferent. The inimitable colors and details of the structure of these amazing flowers are an invariable decoration of any garden in the summer.

But the cultivation of decorative poppies is not a completely standard task, although not a difficult one. Poppies are propagated by seeds, and the choice of methods and methods of sowing allows everyone to find their own ideal option.

The reputation of cultivated, ornamental poppies has suffered greatly from confusion and their association with a species whose cultivation is punishable by law - sleeping pills.

The most beautiful decorative poppy, the oriental poppy, which, if it can be grown, is limited to a few copies, as well as several other species, also suffered from the legislative ban.

But having nothing to do with opiates and not containing narcotic substances, other types of poppies - flowering annuals, biennials and perennials - for some reason also remain a banned plant for many. And although the beauty of poppies does not become less admirers, they are still significantly inferior in their distribution to other summer-flowering competitors.

Representatives of the genus Poppy (Papaver) are herbaceous perennials, biennials and annuals with a very strong taproot, strong straight single shoots, and amazing heavily pubescent carved greens, famous for their filigree silver-blue texture.

Alternately arranged, pinnately dissected, almost prickly to the touch due to the edge, the leaves can be up to 30 cm long. Poppy flowering is a bewitching sight. Drooping buds, straightening peduncles as they open, and spectacular large saucer flowers with the most beautiful stamens among garden plants fascinate.

The calyx of the flower consists of two large sepals, and the corolla is easily recognizable by the delicate, almost transparent, quivering four large petals surrounding a delightful "powdered" center of anthers and stamens, usually almost black in color.

Red, yellow, pink, orange, purple and even blue - decorative poppies can boast amazingly beautiful shades, which inspired the legendary painters, today cause only admiration. After flowering, fruit boxes are tied with beautiful discs at the top, filled with small rounded seeds of different shades of gray.

Without exception, all poppies are propagated by seeds. And annuals - peony-colored poppy, tangled poppy or changeable poppy is now classified as self-seed poppy, gray poppy, golostalk poppy or saffron poppy, peacock poppy; and more durable poppies - Alpine poppy, Amur poppy, Atlantic poppy, Burtsera poppy, Lapland poppy, Miyabe poppy, polar or Scandinavian poppy, poppy grayish or Tien Shan, Tatra - it is best to propagate with seeds.

Only for perennial species are used and some vegetative methods. Growing poppies from seed is very easy, as the plant often blooms as early as two months after germination.

Macs belong to those herbaceous plants who respond very poorly to transplantation. If possible, they should always be sown directly at the place of cultivation.

Poppies are very rarely grown through seedlings, usually only when the plants are going to be used as potted or container accents.

Conditions for growing poppies

Poppies, regardless of species, are light-loving plants, but perennial species can also withstand light shading. Poppies in theory are not afraid of even windy areas, but if you do not protect the plant from drafts, then its beautiful flowers will quickly fall off.

By choosing secluded, warm, sheltered areas, you will stretch out the pleasure of watching the magnificent poppies bloom.

When choosing a place for poppies in your garden, it is worth remembering that the flowering of this plant is very short: within a month after its start, the fruits ripen, and then the plant will quickly leave the garden stage. Even the best perennial poppies have a growing season limited to an average of 100 days.

Therefore, poppies should be planted in such a way that neighboring plants can mask the unattractive fading, and then disappearing greenery, or provide for planting other seasonal annual stars in place of poppies. The best partners for perennial poppies are delphiniums, cereals, cornflower, yarrow, asters, speedwells, oregano and cornflowers.

Its leaves are pinnately dissected, hairy-bristled or glabrous. The stems are straight and, when damaged, begin to secrete milky juice. The flowers are solitary, large, mostly red, but you can find varieties with yellow, white or pink flowers.

The poppy fruit is a cylindrical or spherical box covered with a ribbed disk on top, under which there are pores. Through these pores, small seeds are poured out, which can be black, gray or off-white in color.

homeland poppy- the Mediterranean is presumably considered, from where its culture long before BC. e. appeared in Greece, and then in the countries of Asia Minor.

Several dozen species of this plant are known, but highest value has poppy sleeping pills (opium). Often, poppy seeds are feared because of the narcotic properties, allegedly they contain opium. But in fact, opium, or air-dried milky juice, is obtained only from immature pods before the seeds develop.

Poppy composition: vitamins, trace elements and calories

The petals of this plant contain alkaloids, organic acids, glycosides, flavonoids, fatty oil, anthocyanins, vitamin C. Poppy seeds are rich in large quantity oils, proteins, sugars. The milky juice from the stems of the plant contains opium alkaloids (codeine, morphine, papaverine, narcein).

poppy calories per 100 g of the product is 505 kcal:

• Proteins - 17.5 g
• Fats - 47.5 g
• Carbohydrates - 2.0 g

Useful properties - benefits of poppy

Poppy is widely used in folk medicine. With the help of a decoction from the roots of the plant, you can eliminate headache and cure sciatica. Seed decoctions help improve digestion, and poppy juice can be used as a pain reliever. In ancient times, healers prepared sleeping pills from the seeds of the fruit, which helped to relieve fatigue well.

Poppy leaves: tonic for fever and soothing for bronchitis. And preparations made on the basis of leaves are used for dysentery, diarrhea, inflammation Bladder help with sweating.

The milky juice of the plant: it is made from strong drugs- sleeping pills, painkillers, antitussives and antispasmodics.

Seeds can be ground - in this form they are used in cosmetology, poppy milk is made from them, which is effective tool to reduce circles under the eyes and relieve inflammation of the eyelids.

Harm of poppy and contraindications

The use of poppy preparations is contraindicated in respiratory depression, pulmonary emphysema, bronchial asthma, heart failure, liver dysfunction, nausea, vomiting, alcoholism.

This plant can also harm people suffering from constipation and gallstones.

You should also not get carried away with the constant use of poppy tincture as a sleeping pill.

There are several types of poppy. The most common is the so-called sleeping pill or opium. This plant has been cultivated for thousands of years. Proof of this is the numerous seeds that were discovered during archaeological excavations. Scientists believe that the poppy is one of the oldest plants ever grown by humans. Its beneficial properties have been discovered for a long time - it is an excellent sleeping pill, pain reliever and remedy.

Properties

The very name of the plant says a lot - sleeping pills, opium poppy. It should be noted that not all poppy seeds have narcotic properties. Opium is obtained before seed development, by extracting it from immature bolls.

Poppy with honey is the most effective and harmless sleeping pill. The properties of the plant are due to the presence of special substances. Morphine stops the transmission of pain impulses to the cerebral cortex, as a result of which the plant is used as a strong pain reliever. Codeine reduces the excitability of the cough center, due to its antispasmodic properties, papaverine reduces the tone of smooth muscles, relaxing it.

The soothing and soothing effect of poppy has been noticed for a long time. And according to beliefs, it protects a person from evil spirits.

The plant is stored for a long time, retaining all its useful properties.

What is the use of the plant

Poppy is widely used in food preparation. Often sprinkled with pastries, and also added in the production of halva.

Poppy oil is one of the components in the manufacture of perfumes, lacquer products, and in the production of pharmaceuticals.

Poppy is no less common in medicine. Opium is extracted from immature capsules, from which morphine and codeine are subsequently obtained. These substances are used as pain relievers after surgery.

A decoction of the roots of the plant will help relieve headaches, treat inflammation on the skin. All such infusions are aimed at improving digestion. In ancient times, poppy milk was infused and given to sick children to cure them of serious illnesses.

The leaves are an excellent tonic if a person has a fever. The decoction has a calming effect. Many recommend the plant for the treatment of bronchitis, diseases that affect the lungs.

Poppy can be used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, excessive sweating.

Milky juice is added in the production of products designed to provide deep and long sleep, as well as antispasmodic drugs.

Fresh poppy juice is smeared on the stings of bees and wasps, as well as other insects.

Steamed leaves or green heads are used as compresses for bruises, tumors, diseased joints.

Application in cooking

In ancient times, poppy dishes were used only as ritual dishes. Seeds were added to pies, to kutya for Easter and Christmas.

Used to grind poppy special dishes. It provided the preservation of aroma and useful properties. Today it can be ground in a coffee grinder.

For the holiday, you can prepare an unusual side dish for meat, cut the potatoes, sprinkle with flour, dip in a specially prepared mixture, bread in poppy seeds and fry.

If the dried seeds are fried in butter and sprinkled with noodles, you get a very tasty dish.

Plant seeds are added to kefir or yogurt.

Poppy seed oil is considered one of the best. It is used in the manufacture of conservation, the manufacture confectionery, in cosmetology and in the production of natural varnishes.

Poppy contains a large amount of proteins - about fifteen percent, carbohydrates - about seventy-five percent, fat - only two percent, 100 mg of this plant contains 1460 mg of calcium. Seeds used for cooking are well absorbed by the body. They can be eaten whole seeds or grated into gruel, their advantage is a combination with almost all products. Even a small amount of seeds provides the body with the necessary daily dose potassium, iron, manganese, magnesium. In addition, a person receives vitamins of groups E, A, C, D.

We noted that in content it is second only to poppy. So I thought why poppy - traditionally Russian product practically forgotten. Before the revolution, poppy seed buns, cheesecakes, rolls, pie fillings, poppy seeds, toffees and caramels, sherbet and halva filled the windows of bakeries and confectioneries, attracting the attention of sweet lovers.

Mack was affordable product in every peasant family, because he grew up in every yard, thanks to his unpretentiousness and ease of courtship.

In Siberia, poppies were grown on potato fields between rows of bushes. During its flowering period, potato plantations turned into lilac - red - pink - white seas, bewitching with their wonderful beauty.

Poppy has been cultivated since ancient times, presumably in the Mediterranean countries, a little later it spreads to more northern regions of the Earth. Its new varieties are being developed with different grain colors from white-grayish to purple and black, with different form and box sizes. First of all, thanks to the well-known healing properties, especially for its hypnotic effect, as well as its use in food as fillings, poppy becomes a favorite product in Russia.

So what happened, where did the poppy and poppy fields go?

Mac found the most wide application in nutrition and medicine until its narcotic properties were officially identified. Unripe poppy pods contain resinous, slimy substances and 20 alkaloids, including:

1. morphine
2. milky juice (opium), which is squeezed out by cutting it right on the root. The process is done by hand, which is why the resulting opium (opium) is so high in value.

And although this narcotic property of poppy has been known for a long time, Russia was covered by a wave of drug addiction only in the 80s of the last century. In order to combat drug trafficking and intoxication of the population, it was decided to limit the cultivation of poppy in the fields.

And since 2004 poppy hypnotic and poppy species of the genus papaver containing narcotic substances, are completely prohibited for cultivation in private farms in Russia. That is why now you will not find poppy fields, so incredibly bright and beautiful.

Ripe poppy loses its narcotic properties and becomes tasty and useful product, while retaining only mild sedative properties, is recommended for use in nutrition. But for some reason, it now does not find wide use in the domestic confectionery industry. It was replaced by other delicacies, and this useful, truly natural product is a little forgotten.

Useful properties of the poppy plant

The calorie content of poppy seeds per 100 g of the product is 505 kcal.

Poppy composition

Poppy in its composition is a very useful product, and even a champion in the content of some macro-elements. So the composition of the poppy:

• Proteins - 17.5 g
• Fats - 47.5 g
• Carbohydrates - 2.0 g
• Poppy in terms of calcium content is the leader among products. 100 grams of poppy contains 1667 mg, and it is enough to eat only 50 grams of it to provide daily allowance organisms in this trace element.
• Poppy contains potassium, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium,
• groups A, C, D, PP and E.
• Mono- and disaccharides.

Healing properties of poppy

• Mature poppy seeds contain milk, which is a nutritious product.
• Poppy causes a sedative effect, which is scientifically proven and is used as a sleeping pill.
• Widely used in pharmacology, drugs such as codeine, papaverine, morphine are potent drugs to relieve spasms, severe pain and sleeping pills are made on the basis of poppy.
• It prevents the development of cancer cells
• Fights diarrhea, and even dysentery;
• Has anthelmintic properties;
• Relieves Chronic Mac with Milk excellent tool for a good sleep.
• Heals cough;
• Relieves inflammation of the bladder;
• Soothes nervous system, relieves improves mood;
• Increases the body's resistance to various infections;
• It is used in cosmetology, as an additive in creams.

Harmful properties of poppy

• Unripe poppy is a source of drugs;
• Poppy is not recommended for use by people:

a) suffering from bronchial asthma;

b) patients with cholelithiasis;

c) having a disease of emphysema;

d) suffering from constipation.

Children under two years of age should limit their consumption of poppy seeds.

And do not abuse poppy tincture as a sleeping pill.

Now we know the reason why poppy fields have disappeared and poppy sweets are so rare to find on store shelves. And if you manage to meet a poppy seed roll or buns - cheesecakes, buy them and eat them with pleasure. It is not only tasty, but also healthy!

You can bake a poppy seed cake yourself, there are a lot of recipes, but this is not our topic anymore 🙂 .