Poppy seeds for asthma and whooping cough

The poppy was used to treat asthma and whooping cough and the use of the plant for these ailments traveled from generation to generation and each culture had their own recipe for the treatment of these two illnesses.

The Aztec’s made a tea that was used for these by using the Papaver leaves, this tea was made by boiling the leaves in water for approximately fifteen minutes. The tea was then treated like a tonic when given to the ill child or person with asthma, by giving them one teaspoon once an hour until the condition eased. This mixture was used by many other civilizations and as a tea it was used to treat a full range of ailments.

Another remedy for asthma and whooping cough was to eat a half of a teaspoon of poppy seeds to alleviate the symptoms. This was used by early civilizations, where it could have been used for a treatment at any time, as there was no preparation.

When laudanum began being used it was also a treatment for asthma and for whooping cough, just as it was used in treating tuberculosis, which also has a hacking cough as a symptom.

The cures that were used to treat these two ailments would have been effective because of the alkaloids contained naturally in the poppy; one of these is a derivative of codeine, which is known to be effective in treating conditions where coughing or obstructed breathing is a factor.