Californian poppy

Is the californian poppy an alkaloid plant? Let’s begin with a very important question: What is an alkaloid?. From a chemical (organic chemistry) explanation we must say that alkaloids are nitrogenous compounds existing under several forms; in specific plant’s places, like the fruit and sap, it is also very commn to find alkaloid components in the bark of trees. Plants’ active ingredients, that is the way they have been called due to the effect they exert on animal organisms it is among the most energetic known by botanist and biologist researchers. These Alkaloid (active compounds) plants and herbs are among the most widely used in pharmacology or alternative medicine. The growing interest in them has been based for its amazing effect on humans (physiological and phsycological speaking). Alkaloids have bitter-tasting nitrogenous compounds that are basically alkaline in their chemical properties. This explains why they are widely used in alternative medicine: they usually are very agressive poisons. There are alkaloids from animal origin also.

It is time to make an essential comment: Californian poppy DOES NOT belong to the group of plants classified as alkaloid plants due to its minimum quantity of alkaloid content, the main reason for this is that californian poppy is not considered a well developed plant, as alkaloid plants are.

The nature of all alkaloid plants, and the californian poppy is not the case, are very, very diverse and most of the times complex, this nature has prevented scholars from a perfect and clear classification establishment. Its basic character, its nitrogenous constitution and its ease to join acids to form acid salts, the same way that it is made between ammonia and amines sustances, made that chemical and botanical scientifics had called these alkaloids with the term: substitute ammonia.

Alkaloid plants are usually solid and crystalline substances. They are widely found in plants under the form of salts, they are the bases of these kind of salts. The main organic elements and/or components of alkaloids are (in its chemical notation): C, H, N, O, P and S. in other words, the no metal elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus.

Now, which are the so called benefits from using this plant? as a pain reliever, sedative for headaches and insomnia with not known toxic side effects. It’s commonly used as an infusion in tinctures and dried powder of herbs in helping ease the pain. It was widely used by Native American Indians as medicine and by Indian women as cosmetic.

Many people believe that seeding californian poppy is illegal, that is wrong!, seeding californian poppy has nothing to do with narcotics and drugs. An information campaign about uses and properties of the californian poppy is urgently needed, mainly for its unknown medical properties! Who would not like the benefit of being helped (at home if wanted) in an easy, cheap and practical way?