California poppies

California poppies are part of a very ancient tradition, the use of medicinal plants for health reasons started thousands of years ago and is still part of medical practice in China, Egypt, India, and other developing countries. Over the centuries, the use of medicinal herbs has become an important part of daily life in the western world despite significant progress in modern medical and pharmaceutical research.

Since World War II, the increasing availability of medicinal herbal products, a desire for nutraceuticalsor functional foods and alternative medicines, and concerns about the possible side effects of some synthetic drugs have revived the use of medicinal herbs. Recently, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in medicinal plants or herbs, and their products have become a multibillion dollar industry in both North America and Europe.

There is a classification for the california poppy that should be called “california poppies’ classification” due to the wide variety of species and subspecies that exist for this plant. The classification is known in the scientific environment as “Species of Eschscholzia”, we will name just a few:

Eschscholzia californica ssp. Californica Eschscholzia californica ssp. Mexican (found in Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua), Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. Covillei Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. Minutiflora Eschscholzia minutiflora ssp. Twisselmannii Eschscholzia lemmonii Dendromecon rigida Dendromecon palmeri Hunnemannia fumariifolia

We will focus our attention in the most common and widespread species of the “california poppies”

Scientific name: Eschscholzia california Cham. Common name: California poppy Major constituents: Protopine, cryptopine, chelidonine, flavonge glycoside Medicinal values: As a pain reliever, it is sedative for headache and insomnia. Toxicity: Herbs for which insufficient data are available for classification. Essential oil: No information based on the database searched is available. Source: Whole plant. Uses: Infusion. Value-added products: Tincture and dried powder of herb. Cultivated: Yes. Propagation: Seeds. Planting space: 30 centimeters. Soil conditions and requirements: Well-drained marginal soil. Harvesting: Whole plants are cut when flowering. Major diseases: Name (collar rot, gray-mold blight, powdery mildew) Pathogen (alternaria spp., botrytis cinerea Pers. Ex. Fr., erysiphe polygoni DC.) Major insects: Root-knot nematodes History: Eschscholzia california Cham (the most widely used of the family of california poppies) was used by Native Americans as medicine and cosmetic.

Society: It’s not true that it was illegal to cut california poppies, there was no such a law. The truth is that it was only considered a misdemanour to cut the “state flower”. Only authorized gvernment employees or contractors had special permission to cut trees, flowers or other plants. Additional data: Many of these plants are perennials along the coast and annuals in the interior. The flower colors are from the orange to green spectrum. In cultivation, they easily interbreed among each other. They do not grow well in small containers. They barely react to heat. They interbreed the best when young.

Cooking: Eschscholzia california Cham. is the most used of all california poppies; it is used in bagels, teas and Kolaches.