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 want to be one of the few who know the facts, read on and find out.

Asia, due to its climate, has the best soil for poppy plants. Poppy plant bears poppy seeds at its head. The seeds are small and dried which come with a nutty flavor.

Although mainly used as food ingredient today, during the ancient times poppy seeds were popularly used as medicines. In Greece, they were introduced by Hippocrates as a remedy for insomnia. Today, health experts have found out the other medicinal benefits of poppy seeds. It is found out that poppy seeds are effective cure for coughs, earaches, toothaches, inflammation, fever, dysentery and the list goes on. For these, poppy pods are cultivated in many parts of the world.

Most of the time, poppy seeds are used in baking. They are used as condiments or baked in or sprinkled on our favourite pastries. They are in-demand for cooking rolls, breads and cakes. Aside from their savory tastes, poppy seeds are also recommended by nutritionists because of the nutrients they contain. Based on studies, poppy seeds contain linoeic acid, oleic acid and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to nutritional value, poppy seeds extracted oil can be used in cooking and soap making.

Apart from its health benefits, poppy seeds are perceived to be a symbol of fertility and prosperity. They are used in rituals and as amulets to fight off bad luck and to attract love, money, and luck. Red poppy seeds are also a symbol for fallen warriors.

Poppy seeds may bring a lot of advantages, but they can also be dangerous when taken without knowing its negative effects. Aside from nutrients, poppy seeds contain alkaloids such as morphine and codeine which are addictive. According to health experts, poppy seeds can be eaten when ripe because at that stage alkaloids are only minimal and hardly detrimental to the body. Unripe seeds contain a lot of alkaloids, hence can pose danger to physical and mental health.

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.