Papaver Bracteatum Herb Information

Papaver Bracteatum may sound like a rare, complicated herb, but it's possible you've got this growing right in your back yard. Better known as the Great Scarlet Poppy or the Iranian Poppy, this flower is often used as a source of a pain medication.

Identification

• Papaver Bracteatum is a perennial plant identified by its large red flower. A fully mature plant can be from 4 to 5 feat tall with blooms up to 7 inches across with a dark black center. The Papaver Bracteatum also has fern-like leaves that grow up to 18 inches in length.

Habitat

• Papaver Bracteatum is known as the Iranian Poppy because much of its wild habitat is found there and other parts of Southwest Asia. The plants are commonly sold in the U.S. and Great Britain as the Great Red Poppy or Great Scarlet Poppy as well. They grow best in cooler regions where the summers have low humidity.

Cultivation

• To grow Papaver Bracteatum, you'll need an area of well-drained soil in full sunlight or partial shade. You can start the plants inside in pots or outdoors. Sow the seeds by lightly pressing them into the dirt without covering them. Keep the soil moist, but not saturated. The seeds will germinate in two to four weeks. After four to six weeks, they'll be ready to transplant outside if you started them indoors first.

Uses

• The Papaver Bracteatum Herb is primarily used in gardening. Its distinct flowers and hardy stems make it a good flower for borders around your garden and for cutting to use in arrangements. The plant also has medicinal properties that have been explored.

Herbal Properties

• The roots of the Papaver Bracteatum Herb contain a substance called thebain. Thebain can be used to produce a painkiller called codeine. Thought it come from an herbal source, codeine is only available by prescription in the United States and many other countries.

Benefits

• Unlike the opium poppy, the Papaver Bracteatum has few opium alkaloids. The thebain it contains instead does not have narcotic addictive properties. It is difficult to obtain morphine from this type of poppy, and the medicine produced from the plant has little to no danger of addiction. Because of this, the Office of Management and Budget under President Richard Nixon proposed the domestic cultivation of the Papaver Bracteatum to replace the opium poppies it was trying to eliminate.

Warning

• The Papaver Bracteatum Herb is poisonous if eaten. The thebain it contains must be extracted from the plant before it can be safely used for human consumption.