Poppy Seeds

BOTANICAL NAME:

• Papaver somniferum

FAMILY:

• Papaveraceae

SYNONYM(S):

• Nill

URDU NAME:

• Khashkhas safaid

REGIONAL NAME:

• Bengali: Post Dana
• Persian: Tukham-e- Kokner
• Hindi: Khashkhas
• Sanskrit: Khasa
• Arabic: Qishrul-Khaskhas
• Punjabi: Khashkhash

UNANI/TIBBI NAME:

• Khashkhash

ENGLISH NAME:

• Poppy seeds

HABITAT:

• Widely planted in gardens, as an Ornamental plant, Cultivated in the NWFP

DESCRIPTION:

• Scarcely branched, erect annual herb
• Leaves oblong, irregularly toothed.
• Flowers large white.
• Capsule large, globular, glabrous, many seeded

PART USED:

• Seeds

TASTE:

• Sweetish

TEMPERAMENT:

• Cold 2°, moist 1°

PERIOD OF OCCURRENCE:

• Flowers from March to April

PROCEDURE & TIME OF COLLECTION:

• When ripe and dry the capsule are picked, crushed and the seeds are collected

CONSTITUENTS:

• Fixed oil
• Lecithin
• Morphine
• Papaverine
• Calcium
• Phosphorous
• Iodine
• Zinc
• Copper
• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Thiamine

SUBSTITUTES:

• Tukhm Kahu/lettuce seeds ( Lactusa sativa)

ACTIONS AND USES IN UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE:

Pharmacological action:

• Mild astringent
• Diuretic
• Cooling
• Tranquillizer
• Demulscent
• Nutritive

Therapeutic uses:

• Used as syrups in cough and asthma
• Helps to strengthened the body
• Enrich the blood
• Anti dysentery
• Induce sleep
• Rain tonic

DOSES:

• 1-3 g

CORRECTIVES:

• Sugar and honey

IMPORTANT UNANI FORMULATIONS:

• Sharbat khashkhash
• Itnifal kabir
• Roghan khashkhash
• Safuf shashtarah

ASTROLOGY:

• Mars and Saturn