Poppy Petals

- Livré en sachet refermable - 

Plante sauvage - Récolte manuelle - Séchage à l'ai libre - Sans OGM - Sans ionisation -

Uses in Cooking and Beyond:
The taste of these poppy petals is quite mild, making them easy to enjoy for everyone. Like all poppies, common poppies have sedative effects due to the alkaloids in the plant's latex, providing a calming influence that helps reduce nervousness, anxiety, and emotional tension.

You’ll primarily use them in herbal teas, infusing them for a few minutes in boiling water. Their gentle sedative properties make them suitable for children (even very young ones), adults, and the elderly, promoting restful sleep. They also have a soothing effect on coughs and throat irritations and can be paired with mallow for this purpose. Some even nickname poppy petals as the "harmless opium of the family pharmacy." Their mild action poses no risk of dependency, even for young children.

The deep wine-red color of poppy petals can also beautifully tint syrups, spirits (like rum and vodka with added sugar), and liqueurs, as a few infused petals create a liquid with a rich hue similar to fine wine.

All parts of the poppy are edible: petals, seeds, and even cooked leaves or fresh in salads. In Nemours, poppy candies have been made since the 19th century, and more recently, poppy syrup and liqueur have been produced.

Who Am I?
Origin: Albania
Scientific Name: Papaver rhoeas
Common Names: field poppy, wild poppy, cock’s comb, corn poppy, red poppy

Often mistakenly considered a "weed," the common poppy belongs to the large family of dicotyledons with Eurasian origins. This annual herbaceous plant grows commonly in freshly tilled soil, preferring calcareous, nutrient-rich, and moderately dry soils. Unfortunately, the plant has declined significantly since the widespread use of herbicides. Its bright red color stands out from afar, often forming large, colorful swathes in untreated fields, grassy roadside areas, and sunny plains covered with grasses.

The flowers are large (7 to 10 cm in diameter), solitary, and borne on long, slender, hairy stems reaching up to 60 cm in height. Harvested in July, the petals are almost always a striking, vivid red, though occasionally pink or white, with a black mark at their base. These petals emerge crumpled from the flower bud, which curiously hangs downward, with a delicate, tissue-paper-like texture. The numerous stamens are a striking blue-black color. When the plant’s stems are cut, a white latex emerges, as with all poppies. This latex is rich in various alkaloids, primarily rhoeadine, the active component for the plant’s calming, soothing, and expectorant effects. Unlike its cousin the opium poppy, the common poppy has no toxicity and is entirely free from addictive properties.

The leaves vary in shape depending on their age, are mostly finely lobed, and can be eaten cooked or raw in salads. The fruit is an ovoid, conical capsule containing a large number of very tiny brown seeds.

A single poppy plant can produce over 50,000 seeds, with dormancy potential in the soil for many decades—some suggest over 80 years! The seeds, which respond to light, only germinate if near the soil surface.

The poppy’s adaptation to the cereal crop cycle is remarkable, with flowering and seed formation occurring before cereal harvest, allowing it to continue thriving year after year by reseeding itself.

Today, many varieties of poppies exist, cultivated for their decorative blooms in colors from red to white, with shades of pink and yellow and petals that can be single or double.

A Little History:
The poppy likely originated in the southern Mediterranean basin (Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East). Poppy flowers have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Ancient Greeks ate young poppy leaves in salads, a custom that persisted until recently. Today, the poppy has spread across much of the world.

In the language of flowers, the poppy symbolizes fragile passion and consolation. In the 20th century, it became associated with remembrance, particularly for soldiers who fell on the front lines during World War I, much like the cornflower.

In Greco-Roman mythology, the poppy is the symbol of Morpheus, the god of dreams and sleep.