What is an Opium Poppy?
Papaver Somniferum, aka the Opium Poppy, is a hardy annual that can grow almost anywhere in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. There are many different species of papaveraceae, but none is as prized as the somniferum, for both its beauty and its seeds, which are used in baking and in the production of cooking oil. It is striking in appearance, with stunningly colourful blooms, and stark mournful pods. Its pods are often dried and used in flower arrangements. Papaver Somniferum has also been used medicinally for centuries; as a painkiller, muscle relaxant, diarrhoea remedy, and intoxicant.