40 PAPAVERACE^. 



The milky juice of the herb and capsules has a narcotic odour, and 

 appears to exert a distinctly sedative action. Hesse obtained from 

 them (1865) a colourless crystallizable substance, Rhoeadine, C^^H^^NO*', 

 of weak alkaline reaction. It is tasteless, not poisonous, nearly insoluble 

 in water, alcohol, ether, chloroform, benzol, or aqueous ammonia, but 

 dissolves in weak acids. Its solution in dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric 

 acid acquires after a time a splendid red colour, destroyed by an alkali 

 but reappearing on addition of an acid. Hesse further believes (1877) 

 the milky juice to contain meconic acid. 



Uses — Hed Poppy petals are employed in pharmacy only for the sake 

 of their fine colouring matter. They should be preferred in the fresh 

 state. 



CAPSULiE PAPAVERIS. 



Fructus Papaveris; Popjoy Capsules, Poppy Heads; F. Capsules on 

 Tetes de Pavot ; G. Mohnkapseln. 



Botanical Origin — Papaver somniferum L. Independently of the 

 garden-forms of this universally known annual plant, we may, following 

 Boissier,^ distinguish three principal varieties, viz. : — 



a. setigerum (P. setigerum DC), occurring in the Peloponnesus, 

 Cyprus, Corsica and the islands of Hieres, the truly wild form of the 

 plant with acutely toothed leaves, the lobes sharp-pointed, and each 

 terminating in a bristle. The leaves, peduncles, and sepals are covered 

 with scattered bristly hairs, and the stigmata are 7 or 8 in number. 



/3. glahrum — Capsule subglobular, stigmata 10 to 12. Chiefly cul- 

 tivated in Asia Minor and Egypt. 



y. album (P. offi^cinale Gmelin) — has the capsule more or less egg- 

 shaped and devoid of apertures. It is cultivated in Persia. 



Besides the differences indicated above, the petals vary from white 

 to red or violet, with usually a dark purplish spot at the base of each.'' 

 The seeds also vary from white to slate-coloured. 



History — The poppy has been known from a remote period through- 

 out the eastern countries of the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and Central 

 Asia, in all which regions its cultivation is of very ancient date.^ 



Syrup of poppies, a medicine still in daily use, is recommended as a 

 sedative in catarrh and cough in the writings of the younger Mesne (ob. 

 A.D. 1015) who studied at Bagdad, and subsequently resided at Cairo as 

 physician to the Caliph of Egypt. Their medicinal use seems to have 

 reached Europe at an early period, for the Welsh " Physicians of 

 Myddvai" in the 13th century already stated:* "Poppy heads bruised 

 in wine will induce a man to sleep soundly." They even prepared 

 pills with the juice of poppy, which they called opium. In the Ricet- 

 tario Fiorentino (see Appendix R) a formula is given for the syrup 



^ Flora Orientalis, i. (1867) 116. VngeTjEotanischeStrei/zugeaufdemGebiete 



2 English growers prefer a white-flowered der Culturgeschichte, ii. (1857) 46. 



poppy. * Meddygon Myddfai, Llandovery, 1861, 



* For further particulars consult Eitter, 50. 216. 400. 



Ih'dkunde von Asien, vi. (1843) 773, etc. ; 



