The opium poppy, or papaver somniferum, is probably the world’s most important medicinal plant. For thousands of years, humans have been harvesting the seedpods’ viscous gum and using it to cure pain, reduce coughing, stop diarrhoea and aid a good night’s sleep. Still today it is the basis for most of the world’s pain relievers, including morphine, tramadol, codeine and oxycodone. Go to a hospital for an operation in the UK and you will probably be given some derivative of the opium poppy while you recover.
Yet the opium poppy also has another face. It has been farmed and processed into substances that are viewed as dangerous, addictive narcotics. These include smoking opium, morphine and heroin.
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