Poppy Seeds and Its Benefits

Being fond of food may have led you to click on this page, or maybe mere fact hunting has brought your attention to this article. Whatever motivation drives you, this article offers facts about one type of seeds popularly used in baking pastries which are called poppy seeds.

Although pastries are sold in large quantities everyday, many people rarely take time to find out the facts about the poppy seeds sprinkled in these pastries. Only food enthusiasts and people who work as chefs or cook know the important information related to poppy seeds.  If you haven’t heard about poppy seeds, read on and find out their interesting facts.

Asia, due to its climate, has the best soil for poppy plants. The seeds are actually taken from the head of poppy plants and are like nuts when tasted.

Today, poppy seeds are most popular as food ingredient, however during the ancient times, they were known for their medicinal properties. Hippocrates brought these seeds in Greece that were prescribed for patients suffering from insomnia. It is found out that poppy seeds are effective cure for coughs, earaches, toothaches, inflammation, fever, dysentery and the list goes on. Because of these benefits, poppy pods are cultivated in many parts of the globe.

Most of the time, poppy seeds are used in baking and are used as condiments or baked in or sprinkled on our favorite pastries. They are usual ingredients for rolls, breads, and cakes. Aside from its nutty taste, poppies are very enticing to eat because of the nutrients each seed contains.  The seeds contain linoeic acid, oleic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to its nutritional value, poppy seeds have extracts which can be used for cooking and making soaps.

Poppy seeds are not only appealing to food lovers and the health conscious but to those who sound superstitious also and are thought of as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. The seeds are used in rituals, as amulets against bad luck and as charms to attract love, money and luck. Red poppy seeds are also a symbol for fallen warriors.

Poppy seeds may contain health benefits, but they can also have side effects. Aside from nutrients, poppy seeds contain alkaloids such as morphine and codeine which are addictive. Experts suggest using ripe poppy seeds that contain trace amounts of alkaloids. Unripe ones are loaded with too much alkaloids, hence dangerous for those who do not deliberately plan to become alkaloid addicts.

Knowing all these facts is very necessary in order to know how we can benefit most from poppy seeds and how to avoid their undesirable effects.