O In The A To Z Of Poppies

O in the A to Z of poppies stands for opium and the opium poppy known as Papaver somniferum. Opium is a base for many different types of drugs, both legal and illegal, such as morphine, codeine and heroin.

Opium has had a long history dating back as far as 3400 B.C. in written record, the Mesipatanians talked of its use. This substance was used by the ancient Greeks, Romans and other cultures for its properties for inducing sleep and for pain.

Opiate and morphine based tonics were used through the Victorian period, the colonial period and in the United States until 1914 when the Harrison Narcotics Act was voted in prohibiting the purchase and use of opiate drugs without a physicians prescription. This was voted in due to the realization of how addicting opiate drugs were.

Morphine is an opiate and has been used and still is for chronic pain and for cancer patients. This is not the first uses for morphine, laudanum was used earlier, during the 1800’s for tooth pain, chronic pain, upset stomachs, headaches, coughs and other ailments. The next tonic that was made and can still be prescribed is paregoric and was used for all types of ailments and was in most households to treat illness and even for babies with colic.

Codeine is another opiate that has been widely used and is still prescribed today, for coughs and for chronic pain, including headaches.

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