Early History Of The Poppy

The poppy has a long history, reaching back as far as at 4000 BC; the plants have been used for medicine, for their seeds and their oil. The ancient Greeks favored the poppy enough that it was used for crowns and held by several of their gods and goddesses. The ancient Egyptians revered the plants enough that not only was it used as a sleeping potion, but also put in the burial chambers of their Pharaohs.

Many of these ancient civilizations used the poppy for medicinal purposes and for sleeping purposes; it was not until the 1500’s when it began to be used for other purposes and it became a very popular medicinal during the Victorian era and long before it was known that opium could be addictive. There were tonics made, given the name laudanum and that was used for headaches, pain and other afflictions. This was not only used by adults was also given to children who had an illness, colds, sore throats, and for teething.

The uses of these plants were important to many of the ancient people, known for its medicinal purposes. But also for its seeds and oil, people such as Hippocraties recorded these uses of the plants. Because the poppy it is able to be grown in different soils and climates, it made this a plant of interest for many cultures in these ancient times, for being used for its medicinal purposes, its seeds and its oil. Alexander the great believe in the uses of this plant enough that he introduced it to Near Asia.