California Poppy

Western Bulk Herbs – California Poppy

California poppy can give you a restful sleep without the normal side effects such as morning grogginess, nausea, vomiting, or constipation. If combined with other healing herbs such as hawthorn and magnesium salts, it can be used as a treatment for moderate anxiety. Native Americans used it as a mild sedative (they smoked it), and it is free of the normal side effects of tranquilizers.

Latin Name:
Eschscholtzia californica

Common Names:
Eschscholzia californica, Western Poppy, Poppy, and Gold Poppy.

Parts Used:
Above-ground parts of the plant, dried. Whole plant in flower

Properties:
It has benzodiazepine, neuroleptic, antidepressant, antihistaminic and analgesic properties.

Traditional Uses:
Most frequently used as a tincture. Can also be taken as a tea or capsule.

Topical Uses / Applications:

Culinary Uses:
The pollen is used cosmetically, and the seeds are used in cooking.

Chemical Properties:
Alkaloids, principally cryptopine

Cautions:
California Poppy should not be used during pregnancy. May enhance the hypnotic / sedative effects of barbituates / antipsychotics. Do not combine with MAOI drugs.

Folk Lore:
As a side note, California poppy is often used highway beautification programs because they grow quickly, look attractive, and will endure the harsh conditions by the highway and abuse from automobiles. They are used to control erosion and reducing mudslides in areas where other species can’t survive.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.