Witnessed by: Western · Unani
Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas), of the Papaveraceae family. Annual herb with hairy stems and nodding buds; native range: Europe, North Africa and Western Asia, in cornfields and waste ground. Globally recognized as lalpost in Hindi, shaqaiq-un-noman in Arabic, and corn poppy, red poppy, field poppy, gul-e-lala in English. The part used is petals (also the ripe capsule). Crimson silk-thin petals with a dark basal blotch, bleeding a red juice, faintly sweet and mucilaginous with a slight bitterness.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CORN POPPY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Corn poppy
- Scientific name
- Papaver rhoeas L.
- Family
- Papaveraceae
Form
- Part used
- petals (also the ripe capsule)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- sweet · mucilaginous
- Unani
- sweet, faintly bitter
Temperature
Western: cool
Unani: cold & moist (2nd degree)
convergence: both {witness_count} witnesses hold the petal cooling and moistening
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- lungs · nerves · mucous membranes
- Unani
- brain · lungs · heart
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- mild sedative, demulcent, expectorant, and gentle anodyne
- Unani
- munawwim (hypnotic, mild), musakkin (sedative), mulaiyin (soothing to the chest), murattib (moistening)
Cautions
Contraindications: caution with sedative medication; not with heavy phlegm-damp cough
Toxicity: the petals are mild and safe; the unripe capsule and seedlings contain more alkaloid and are best avoided in quantity
Interactions
- Western
- sedatives / CNS depressants: mild additive sedation
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