poppy seeds

Poppy seeds.   Part of the poppy plant.

The poppy flowers are so pretty.   We had them in our garden when I was a child.   I liked shaking the seed pod and watching zillions of very tiny seeds fall out of the pod.   I am not sure whether the poppy plants are annuals or perennials but they always grew in the same spot year after year.   Maybe it had something to do with my shaking the  seed pod and watching the seed fall out.   The scientific name for the opium poppy is Papaver somniferum.   That is a picture of one below.

Here is a description of the plant from the internet.

"Papaver somniferum, commonly known as the opium poppy, or breadseed poppy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae.It is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are derived and is a valuable ornamental plant, grown in gardens."

The white sticky milky latex sap of the seed pods is the source of opium which is the source of heroin.

So where am I going with all of this?   I use to be badged by a nuclear power plant.

 I was under their random drug testing program.   I was told that poppy seeds could cause a positive result on the drug testing and so it might be a good idea  not to eat anything with poppy seeds like rolls, bread, muffins, etc. to avoid possible problems with the drug testing.   So for many years I didn't eat anything with poppy seeds in it or on it.   Here is an excerpt from the internet.

False positive drug tests

"Although the drug opium is produced by "milking" latex from the unripe fruits ("seed pods") rather than from the seeds, all parts of the plant can contain or carry the opium alkaloids, especially morphine and codeine. This means that eating foods (e.g., muffins) that contain poppy seeds can result in a false positive for opiates in a drug test. However the results provided will not be the same for someone who uses opiates."

So now that I am retired and not under the drug testing program I can now eat rolls and breads with poppy seeds because they are no longer verboten (except for sesame seeds on muffins).   I am sure that you have seen this on the internet already.  What is the size of a tick?

 

I know, eating muffins with poppy seeds on them may never be the same.   Have a great day anyway.    Lew