Tag: Papaver somniferum

Paleobotany

A Selective History of the Sacred Poppy

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) image in public domain. By Patrick Hunt –  Any history of the opium poppy, in this case Papaver somniferum or the “sleep-bringing” poppy, must be replete with its known medical use and perhaps equally its less scientific lore. Why it has been known as the “sacred […]