Chemical Constituents and Uses of Poppy Seed Oil

Source and Distribution of Poppy Plant:

Poppy seed oil is the fixed oil obtained from the dried poppy seeds of Papaver somniferum, belonging to the family Papaveraceae. It is also known as poppy oil.

English: Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) On Berengrave nature reserve. This lilac subspecies was grown for poppy seed oil, rather than opiates. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The seeds are collected from the poppy capsules, the fruits of opium poppy. The seeds are produced commercially in the countries where opium is collected. The seeds are very small in size and they are expressed for the collection of the oil. It is collected in the countries like Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Iran and England. Poppy oil a pale yellow coloured liquid with pleasant odour. It is a drying oil.

Chemical constituents of Poppy Seeds:

The oil does not contain the narcotic alkaloids of the opium. It is a rich source of linoleic acid and also contains other oils like palmitic, arachidic and oleic acids.

Papaver somniferum seeds (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Medicinal Uses and Health Benefits of Poppy Seed Oil:

White poppy seeds used for culinary purposes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• It has similar taste as of olive oil
• Used along with olive oil in salads
• Used as a edible oil
• It has high iodine value, hence used in iodised oil
• As it is a drying oil, it is used in the manufacture of the soap, varnish and paints