The plant grows preferentially along roadsides and in grain fields and is found worldwide. The red flowers used medicinally and as a beautifying drug in tea blends come mainly from wild occurrences in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and Morocco.
In herbal medicine, the flowers of the corn poppy (Papaveris rhoeados flos) are used.
Corn poppy and its characteristics
Corn poppy is an annual plant up to 80 cm tall, often found along roadsides or on the edge of grain fields. The stems have bristly hairs, and the leaves are 1- to 2-pinnate.
Corn poppy has initially drooping flower buds, which erect just before flowering and produce the characteristic delicate, bright red petals. These were also used in the past to make red ink.
Corn poppy also has a fruit capsule about 1 cm long.
Corn poppy flowers as a medicine
The drug material consists of the dark red to dark purple, crinkled petals. These are velvety to tomentose to the touch, have entire margins, and are about 4-6 cm in size. At the base of the petals, they have a black spot that stands out particularly well when soaked in water.
There is no particular smell from corn poppy, the plant is more or less odorless. Corn poppy flowers taste mucilaginous and somewhat bitter.
