The opium poppy comes from the eastern Mediterranean area and can reach heights between 30 cm and 1.5 m. The plant blooms from June to August. The round stem is rarely branched and usually glabrous (sometimes hairy). The opium poppy carries a milky sap in the capsule, as well as the stem and leaves, which can be obtained by slightly scratching it. Raw opium is collected from this liquid after drying. The leaves are long, oval and serrated at the edge. The opium poppy is uniflorous and the flowers each have two green sepals and four white to violet-red petals, which have a dark spot at the base. Stamens have yellow filaments and small anthers. The fruit is a capsule fruit consisting of 8 to 12 carpels. The round capsule fruits contain hundreds of seeds, which vary in color according to race (generally blue-grey, white, yellow, grey-red, or black). The relatively small seeds are kidney-shaped, hard, and have an oil content of about 35-50%.
Poppyseed oil is obtained from the seeds of the poppy plant and has a light yellow color. The seeds are taken from the mature plant, cleaned, cold-pressed, and finally filtered before bottling. The gentle cold pressing process ensures that all-important ingredients of the oil remain undamaged. The seeds are very sensitive and should, therefore, be processed gently. Thus a slightly inferior oil is obtained by hot pressing the poppy seeds. Another method of extracting poppy seed oil is extracted with the critical CO.
Poppyseed oil is not only suitable for the care of dry skin but all skin types. The oil supports the skin layers in regulating fluid balance and enriches them with healthy fats. These fats are needed by the skin to regenerate, heal, and be resistant to external influences. The oil soothes irritated and reddened skin. The linoleic acid contained in poppy seed oil is absorbed by the skin particularly quickly. It is also absorbed completely so that no oily film remains.
All in all, poppy seed oil has an intensive and good effect on the skin’s ability to regenerate and supplies the skin with important fatty acids and minerals.
Poppy seed oil is used in the kitchen as a high-quality oil due to its aromatic taste. Like many vegetable oils it can cause a lowering of increased cholesteral levels thanks to its high content of unsaturated fatty acids. However, poppy seed oil should not be heated above 170 °C.
Since the production of poppy seed oil is quite laborous, it is somewhat more expensive than many other oils. For this reason, manufacturers like to mix or dilute it with other cheaper oils, such as sunflower oil. This way, of course, the effects of the oils are weakened. You should therefore pay attention to the ingredients, especially with this oil. These should only contain pure poppy seed oil and no further additives. Normally, the label or product description contains information about the origin and production.
As already mentioned above, poppy seeds are very sensitive and therefore nutrients and vitamins are lost during hot pressing. Therefore, you should buy a cold-pressed poppy seed oil preferably from organic cultivation.
Since poppy seed oil does not have a very long shelf life, it is not worth buying a large quantity of it.
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