Nine poppy-head addicts were seen at a Birmingham hospital. Seven were Sikhs born in Jullundur and two were West Pakistanis. Most began their poppy-head addiction in their early 20s, usually out of curiosity or to relieve the hangover effects of alcohol. Only two took opium in addition and one of these had taken cannabis, morphine, and heroin. They all drank several pints of beer a day and were...

examining the floral wreath on the mummy of the Princess Ugi-Khouni, of the twenty-first Egyptian dynasty, discovered, says Nature, at Deriel-Behan, the folded leaves of a willow (Salix Sa/so/j), perfect flowers of the corn-poppy, flower-heads of Ccntvurea deprcssa, and of Picris coronopi/olia. The flowers of the corn-poppy appear to have been gathered in an unopened condition to prevent the pe...

There are several different DNA analysis procedures that have been used to identify and characterize plant Amplified restriction fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) DNA cultivars to determine genetic diversity. Each procedure analysis was performed on leaf samples of 40 accessions of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) and two other control genera (Pahas it own requirements, sensitivity, and rel...

I am old enough to have taken part in the international project to sequence the first eukaryotic genome—that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae—which was released in 1996. Twenty years later, scientists from academic and commercial institutions are now involved in the first wholesale construction of a eukaryotic genome: the Yeast 2.0 Project [1]. The construction of whole genomes from scratch is defin...

Tasmania is the world’s largest producer of opium alkaloids for the pharmaceutical market. The area sown to poppies is close to 20,000 ha, and the industry is one of the larger employers in the State. The application of science and technology has been critical to the development of the poppy industry. High yielding varieties and efficient production methods allow the Tasmanian industry to compe...

Noscapine is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid produced in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and other members of the Papaveraceae. It has been used as a cough suppressant and more recently was shown to possess anticancer activity. However, the biosynthesis of noscapine in opium poppy has not been established. A proposed pathway leading from (S)-reticuline to noscapine includes (S)scoulerine, (S)-ca...

Two early and potential rate-limiting steps in the biosynthesis of isoquinoline alkaloids, such as morphine and codeine, in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) involve decarboxylation of L-tyrosine and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) to yield tyramine and dopamine, respectively. A DNA fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using degenerate primers designed to two highly conser...

Beauveria bassiana strain 04/01-Tip, obtained from a larva of the opium poppy stem gall wasp Iraella luteipes (Hymenoptera; Cynipidae), endophytically colonizes opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plants and protects them against this pest. The goal of this study was to monitor the dynamics of endophytic colonization of opium poppy by B. bassiana after the fungus was applied to the seed and to ...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of anaphylactic reactions due to opiates during anaesthesia can be difficult, since in most cases various drugs may have been administered. Detection of specific IgE to poppy seed might be a marker for sensitisation to opiates in allergic people and heroin-abusers. This study assessed the clinical value of morphine, pholcodine and poppy seed skin-prick and IgE determina...

Noscapine is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid produced in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and other members of the Papaveraceae. It has been used as a cough suppressant and more recently was shown to possess anticancer activity. However, the biosynthesis of noscapine in opium poppy has not been established. A proposed pathway leading from (S)-reticuline to noscapine includes (S)-scoulerine, (S)-c...