By Kenneth Berman ( This article first appeared in the American Free journal Weekly April 29-May 5th 2010 Vol.21 No. 18)
Its spring time in the desert! After some healthy winter rains we are privy to be witnessing another beautiful bloom. The next couple of weeks will surely be the peak of the flower season. With the transition of the flower bloom from the lower elevations to the hi-deserts, I am seeing multitudes of various varieties of flowers in Joshua Tree National Park. One flower that I have always been amazed and intrigued by is the California Poppy. They truly catch the eye with their bright orange to yellow colors that so sharply contrast the dry desert terrain, displaying a spectacle of scattered “Day-Glo” patches along the roads and in the countryside. Their distinct shape and design has somehow been etched in my mind as a flower form that has provided much relief to physical pain but has also been instrumental in so much pleasure and addiction. Interestingly enough the California Poppy is NOT void of “medicinal properties”. Not unlike its opium containing cousins this flower has been employed for similar applications. This may have been the reason it was designated the California State Flower and therefore made illegal to pick?! So, don’t forget! Don’t pick the poppies! Poppies! Poppies! Poppies!
Family: Papaveraceae
Genus: Eschscholtzia
Species: Californica
Common names: California Poppy, Golden Poppy, Yellow Poppy, Copa De Oro (Spanish), tesinat (Cahuilla).
Description: A small annual flower growing up to 20” tall on slender green stalks. The leaves are a deep green to grayish color, small with multipinnate leaves (many leaf tips). The soft flower petals are bright florescent orange or yellow in color with a deeper hued pattern in their center. They are radial-symmetric (a mirror image no matter which direction it is halved), 1-3 inches in diameter. The seed pods are also long and slender unlike the opium poppies which are fat and round in contrast. Note: You can NOT “milk” the California Poppy pods!
Distribution: Native to western North America and northern Mexico. It can be found as far north as Oregon, as far east as western Texas and as far south as Baja California. It thrives better at elevations above 3000ft. It can also be cultivated easily with seed.
Legality: 100% legal to possess, cultivate and consume in any manner. Because it is the California State Flower it is ILLEGAL TO PICK ON STATE PROPERTY! This includes county, state and the property of every National Park and Monument in the country, where ALL plant gathering is prohibited. California State fines can be pricey (and possibly embarrassing for picking flowers!), so best to collect and/or cultivate on private property.
Traditional applications: It has been used by various indigenous cultures in North America to treat acute pain and anxiety, as a sedative, analgesic and tranquilizer. It was given to children as an aid for sleep. All parts of the plant have been utilized and employed. A tea or an infusion was often made of the dried leaves and flowers.
Active components/alkaloids: Protopine, Magnoflorine and Allocrytopine- all pavine alkaloids. They are in higher concentrations during flowering. Note: These chemicals are very similar to opium although much milder and completely non-addictive.
Contemporary applications: Has been applied in the treatment of insomnia, acute nerve and muscular pain, for anti-anxiety, to ease opiate withdrawal, as an antimicrobial (external) and for ADHD and dyslexia in children.
Effects: Like the Opium Poppies this plant can have sedating and slightly euphoric, dreamy qualities, although much more subtle.
Preparation: It can be made into a tea (1-2g of dried leaves and flowers per cup), smoked, or prepared as a tincture.
Contradictions: Should not be mixed with any other sedative or analgesic and should be avoided during pregnancy. It has no known negative effects from long term use.