California Poppy Tea Benefits

California Poppy Tea Benefits have long been regarded by early North Americans as being effective for simple headaches and stomachaches. They also have been noted for their apparent sleep-inducing properties.

California poppy is a tender annual or perennial plant that possesses light green leaves and can grow up to two feet in height. Flourishing during spring until midsummer, the bell-shaped, orange-yellow flowers tend to reach a width of 2 to 4 inches and typically open under the bright sun and close on cloudy days and at night. Its fruit is a slender capsule that's 3 to 9 centimeters long, which splits in two parts to release numerous small black or dark brown seeds.


The California poppy is the state flower of the Golden State and can typically be found along the hills of the Pacific coast, as well as in the inner grasslands of the state. The elevated dessert topography of much of these areas is what the plant needs to grow in.


Due to its inherent beauty, landscape artists and gardeners have shown much appreciation for the California poppy plant. Many people grow these plants in nurseries and greenhouses.


The California poppy is also one of the olest North American remedies for stress-caused illnesses. Native Americans in California accorded them value by using the green parts as vegetables.


The active constituents of California poppy are alkaloids (primarily cryptopine, protopine and chelidonine) and flavone glycosides. The health benefits of the plant are typically derived through a tincture. It is also encapsulated as food supplements.

California poppy tea can also be made by placing the aboveground parts (flowers, stems, leaves) of the plant in boiling water for about 10 minutes. This decoction is ideally taken during bedtime. Pregnant women and children should not take this tea as its safety to them has not been clinically established.

The following are the health benefits attributed to California poppy tea:

       California poppy tea may help fight insomnia by ushering in restful sleep.

       California poppy tea may help fight anxiety.

       California poppy tea is said to help fight headaches, toothaches and stomachaches.

      California poppy tea may help fight skin sores and ulcers.