California poppy

Eschscholzia californica Cham

California poppy - annual or perennial growing to 2 ft (60 cm). California poppy has finely cut leaves and bright orange, yellow, pink, or red flowers.

Like a golden blanket, orange and yellow poppy blossoms once covered the mountains of coastal California, so impressing Spanish explorers that they named the region the Land of Fire. Indeed, before development dimmed their luster, the flowered hills shone so brightly that sailors far out at sea used them as beacons to shape their course. Today this poppy is California's state flower.

Like many other members of the poppy family, the California poppy contains sedative alkaloids in its sap. The local Indians used the plant as a painkiller, especially for toothache; as a remedy for insomnia and headache; and as a poultice for sores and ulcers. Indian women employed California poppy to charm unresponsive lovers, though this was considered a crime and, if detected, would result in the woman's expulsion from the tribe. Today some Californians of Spanish heritage cook the plant in olive oil to make a hair tonic that, they say, makes the hair grow thick and shiny. Dormidera, "the drowsy one," is the name they give this flower that, like any true Californian, worships the sun, closing up tightly at dark.

Parts used

Dried aerial parts.

Uses

Although California poppy is closely related to the opium poppy, it has a markedly different effect on the central nervous system. California poppy is not a narcotic. In fact, rather than disorientating the user, it tends to normalize psychological function. California poppy's gently antispasmodic, sedative, and analgesic effects make it a valuable herbal medicine for treating physical and psychological problems in children. California poppy may also prove beneficial in attempts to overcome bedwetting, difficulty in sleeping, and nervous tension and anxiety.

Habitat & cultivation

California poppy is native to western North America. Widely cultivated as a garden plant, California poppy prefers sandy soils.

Constituents

California poppy contains alkaloids (including protopine, cryptopine, and chelidonine) and flavone glycosides.

How much to take

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 1 - 2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. A cup should be drunk at night to promote restful sleep.
Tincture: take 1 - 4 ml of the tincture at night.

Collection & harvesting

The aerial parts are collected at the time of flowering which is between June and September. They should be dried in the shade.

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