Nutty and pleasant in taste, poppy seeds are nutritious oilseeds used as condiment in cooking. They are the seeds obtained from the dry fruits (pods) of poppy plant (opium poppy) and entirely free from any sinister side effects of other products poppy plant (opium poppy).

Poppy plant is a biennial herb of East Mediterranean, and Asia Minor origin belonging to the papaveraceae family of the genus: Papaver. Scientific name: Papaver somniferum.
Ancient Egyptians were aware of seeds extraction from the poppy head. Through the Arab traders, opium cultivation spread to Persia, ancient Khorasan, and India. Today seeds poppy are a well-established commercial crop in many parts of the world Mediterranean countries including Turkey, France, India, and East European region.

Poppy plant grows up to 5 feet in height. It requires full sunlight and fertile soil to flourish. Depending up on variety, lilac, blue, red or white flowers appear during spring on long peduncles which subsequently turn in to globular or oval shaped fruits (capsules).
Each fruit head measures 4–6 cm long and 3–4 cm in diameter, contains numerous tiny, bean (kidney) shaped seeds, which rattle when shaken inside dried capsules. Seeds poppy can be light grey to dark grey, black, or bluish depending on cultivar type.

Its seeds, which are used as condiment spice and to press oil, are indeed very safe to use as food and contain negligible quantities of toxic alkaloids of opium poppy.

Health benefits

Poppy seeds contain many plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have anti-oxidant, disease preventing and health promoting properties.

Their unique nutty aromatic flavour is due to many fatty acids and essential volatile oils, which compose about 50% of  net weight. The seeds are especially high in oleic and linoleic acids. Oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid, helps lower LDL or "bad cholesterol" and increase HDL or "good cholesterol". Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet which is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids helps to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favouring healthy blood lipid profile.

Poppy seeds outer coat is rich in dietary fibre. 100 g seeds provide 19.5 g or 51% of recommended daily levels of fibre. Much of this fibre is metabolically inert which helps increase bulk of the food by absorbing water throughout the digestive system and easing constipation condition.

In addition, dietary fibres bind to bile salts (produced from cholesterol) and decrease their re-absorption in colon, thus help lower serum LDL cholesterol levels.

The seeds are excellent source B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid. Many of these vitamins functions as co-factors in substrate metabolism especially fat and carbohydrates.

Poppy seeds contain good levels of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the powerful anti-oxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

Dried poppy seeds contain very small levels of opium alkaloids such as morphine, the Baine, codiene, papaverine etc. When consumed in food, these compounds produce minimal effect when consumed on human nervous system. On the contrary, the chemicals have beneficial effects on human body; soothe nervous irritability, act as pain-killers, and used in pharmacy as well as in many traditional medicines in the preparations of cough mixtures, expectorants etc.

Analgesic Effect: The most widely studied and utilized aspect of poppy is the analgesic qualities that it provides. Morphine is one of the primary active components in poppy, and as you probably know, this is a powerful pain reliever – one of the strongest used in hospitals. If you consume poppy seeds, you can soothe small aches and pains, relieving headaches, and even speed up healing. The rich combination of nutrients found in poppy seeds, including zinc, can help increase the metabolism to accelerate the recovery process.

Boost the Immune System: Studies have directly linked zinc to an improvement in the strength of immune systems. This mineral, found in significant levels within each poppy seed, can stimulate the production of white blood cells and boost the body’s response to foreign substances and agents.

Vision Health: As we age, our eyes naturally begin to fail us, but there are certain things we can do to stop this process. Antioxidant compounds are one great way to protect our eyes, but so is zinc, found in significant quantities in poppy, which can reduce the occurrence of macular degeneration and keep our vision strong.

Heart Health: One of the other key minerals found in poppy is iron, an integral component in the production of red blood cells. By increasing your iron intake, you can boost blood flow, thereby increasing the oxygenation of vital parts of your body. This can reduce symptoms of anaemia, boost energy levels, and speed up the healing process.

Digestive Help: If you are suffering from constipation or diarrhoea, you need fibre in your diet. Poppy seeds have a surprisingly high level of dietary fibre, which can help to bulk up stool or promote peristaltic motion to regulate your bowel movements. Poppy seeds have been directly linked to soothing inflammation and pain, thereby promoting normal functioning in your gut.

Type 2 Diabetes: Although this is more of a preventative measure, low levels of zinc can be a large indicator for Type 2 diabetes. To protect yourself against this nearly global epidemic, adding zinc to your diet (in the form of poppy seeds) can be a quick and tasty solution.

Nerve Function: Many people fail to realize the many roles that calcium plays in our body, but when it comes to the functioning of our nervous system, few minerals are more essential. The high levels of calcium found in poppy make it a very impressive nerve tonic and can help prevent nervous disorders and promote healthy function.

Bone Health: Calcium is also an integral aspect of bone mineral density, so the calcium in poppy can ensure that our bones stay strong and resilient as we age, rather than slowly weakening as a result of osteoporosis or other bone-related disorders.

Blood Pressure: The analgesic and anaesthetic qualities of poppy can protect heart health in another way. The potassium found in poppy seeds acts as a vasodilator, easing the tension in arteries and blood vessels while promoting normal blood flow throughout the body. This can help prevent the development of atherosclerosis and the subsequent heart issues, like strokes and heart attacks that can so often result.

A Final Word of Warning: It is very important to remember that poppy seeds do contain very strong components in higher than average levels. Although eating too many hot dog buns is not the same as taking a morphine pill, depending on the preparation of poppy oils and other extracted varieties, use with extreme caution, and only use poppy seeds and extracts from trusted herbalists and alternative medical practitioners. Use of poppy and its seeds is banned/restricted by some countries such as UAE, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia so consult your local health specialist before use.