Papaver Somniferum | Poppy Plant And Opium Alkaloids | Crude Drugs Information | Pdf, Ppt Notes Download

Papaver somniferum:

Family: papaveraceae.
Papaver somniferum is specie of plant with many subgroups and varieties.
Somniferum is a latin word means to produce sleep. The plant is an annual herb. Some of the varieties (such as norman and przemko varieties having low morphine content. In india and turkey poppy seed is known as khash khash. Poppy seed is highly recommended for pregnant women and new mothers. The seeds are also used in bakeries.
According to encyclopedia britannica’s the seed contains no narcotic elements.

common name:

synonyms for this plant are: poppy plant,khash khash,opium etc.

Geographical distribution:

opium plant is found in pakistan,china,afghanistan,iran,iraq,and india.the cultivation if from seeds.However despite of wide spread distribution its cultivation is a controlled one,because of the possible misuse of opium.
INCB (international narcotic control board) has tightened the policies for cultivation of poppy plant.

Crude Drug Cultivation & Collection Time:

Poppy plant is cultivated in winter season and harvested in summer.The perfect collection time for papaver somniferum plant is by the end of "May-June".This allows enough active consituents to acccumulate in the buds.

Part used:

incissions are made on fully ripened buds with a sharp blades.this let a paste like milky fluid ooze out from the incisions.this milky fluid which on air drying form a dark color compound called " opium".  opium is the actual crude drug.it is dried to a harder form then dried out and crushed to form the drug,
Additional processing is done at government collection center. Where 35 kg rectangular boxes of the opium is prepared and dried in the sun. after then the moisture content is reduced to 10-35%. When sufficiently dried it is made into cakes of 5 kg and exported in polythene bags.
Opium is a pale olive gray in color it is more or less plastic when fresh and become hard brittle or tough when kept.
Opium and the drugs obtained from it are called opiates.

crude opium has the following characteristics.

  • it has a bitter taste
  • crude opium has a characteristic unpleasant odour.
  • it is initially milky white a paste like which converts to a dark brown and solid form on drying.

Constituents:

More than 30 different alkaloids are obtained from opium. The most important of which are;
a) Morphine - 4-21%.
b) Codeine – 0.8-2.5%.
c) Noscapine – norcoline 4-8%.
d) Papaverine – 0.5-2.5%.
Thebaine – 0.5-2%.
Other alkaloids include;
I. Narecine.
II. Protopine.
III. Laudanine.
IV. Codamine.
V. Cryptopine.
Lathopine.
Mecodinine (alkaloid + meconic acid).
Opium also contain 3-5% meconic acid which exists free or in combination with morphine, codeine and other alkaloids.
Meconic acid gives red color with ferrous chloride solution and is not altered with dilute hcl.
As meconic acid is only found in opium so it is a characteristic test for opium.
Opium alkaloids are divided into two classes depending upon chemical structure and action.

A) Addicting compounds:

Morphine, codeine and thebaine act upon cns and are analgesic having narcotic activity.
Opiates are addictive drugs i.e. they produce a physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms that can only be relieved by continued use of the drug.

1) Morphine:

Morphine is the most important opium alkaloid. It occurs as white silky crystals, cubic masses or fine crystalline powder morphine and its salts are used as narcotic analgesic, they are hypnotic and narcotic.
Their use tends to induce nausea, vomiting, constipative and habit formation. Their usual potential dose of morphine sulphate is 10mg 6 times a day.
In 1806 serturner first isolated the alkaloid morphine from opium. Opium in its normal air dried condition yields not less than 9.5% of anhydrous morphine. It is stable in air, odourless and bitter tasting.

2) Codeine:

It is present in opium as 0.8-2.5% or prepared from morphine by methylation.
Codeine is methyl morphine. Codeine and its salts occurs as fine needles or as white crystalline powder.
It is used as narcotic analgesic and as antitussive.
Codeine is considerably less toxic and much less chance for habit formation.

3) Heroin:

Heroin is diacetyl morphine. It is formed by acetylation of morphine. Heroin action is similar and more pronounced than that of morphine. Its use in medicine has been discontinued due to potency and danger of habit formation.

B) Non addicting compounds:

Papaverine, nascapine and most of the other opium alkaloids act only to relax smooth muscles.
Opiates have important physiological effects; they slow respiratory rate and heart beat, suppress the cough reflex and relax the smooth muscles of the GIT.
With chronic use of addictive drug, however the body develops a tolerance to opiates, so that progressively larger doses are needed for action. The higher opiates heroin and morphine are more addictive than opium and codeine.
Opiates are classified as narcotics because they relieve pain, induce sleep and produce addiction.

1) Papaverine:

It is present upto 1%. It may be produced synthetically. Papaverine hcl is a smooth muscle relaxant. It is colorless and odourless but with slightly bitter taste.
Papaverine hcl occurs as white color crystals or crystalline powder. Dose is 150 mg orally or 30 mg I/M. it is available in the name of pavabid and pavadyl.

2) Noscapine:

It exist as free base in opium, commonly known as narcotine. It contains no narcotic properties therefore also called Anarcotine.
Noscapine is antitussive, dose is 15mg upto 4 times a day.
It is available in syrups and chewable tablets.

papaver somniferum(poppy plant) medicinal uses:

poppy plant has the following medicinal uses.
  • as  opoid analgesic /narcotic  analgesics  prescribed in severe painful conditions like that of pain associated with cancer,myocardial infarction,terminal illness,road accidents and bullet pains etc.
  • antitussive:  the dried poppy residues exhibit ideal cough suppresent properties.
  • anti-diarrheal:  opium decrease git motility by suppressing sympathetic system activity and are good in case of severe diarrhea.
Opium acts on cns. It first stimulate and then depress the nerve response.
It is used as analgesic, hypnotic and narcotic.
It has anti-diarrheal properties.

It contract pupils of the eyes.

Misuse/abuse of opium:

 opium has strong narcotic properties and is a strong addictiive drug.it renders it victim totally dependent on it and the person becomes physically and mentally weak and lethargic.
the antinarcotic force has put their strong effort to minimize its wide spread cultivation.