The efficacy and effects of opium

For many Chinese people, traditional Chinese medicine is very trustworthy because it has a long history and few side effects. Opium is a common Chinese medicinal material. It has many benefits to human health. So how can we eat opium? Let’s learn about it below.

[Other names] Di Yejia (Tang Materia Medica), opium, opium (Compendium of Materia Medica), yapian (Sui Xi Ju Diet).

[Source] It is the solidified juice from the fruit of the poppy plant of the Poppy family. Usually when the fruit is fully grown but not yet ripe, and the peel is still green or slightly yellow (the morphine content in the latex is highest at this time), use a sharp knife or a special serrated cutter to make a shallow cut on the peel (straight or oblique) on a sunny evening to cut the latex ducts scattered in the peel tissue. The white latex will then seep out from the cut in the form of drops, gradually turning from slightly reddish to brown in the air, and gradually solidifying into a viscous substance. Use an oiled bamboo comb or bamboo knife to scrape it the next morning. Opium can be scraped out of each fruit 3 to 4 times. The scraped opium is wrapped in poppy leaves and placed in a dark place to dry.

[Original morphology] The plant morphology is detailed in the "Poppy" entry.

[Properties] Opium comes in different shapes, including spherical, cake-shaped, brick-shaped or irregular shapes. It is brown or black, waxy, and often has poppy leaves or paper attached to the outside. It is soft when fresh, but becomes hard as it is stored for a long time. The smell is specific, narcotic, and the taste is extremely bitter and specific.

[Chemical composition] The total bioalkaloid content of opium is 10-25%, mainly in the form of meconate. The main alkaloids of opium produced in Japan include morphine 5-24%, narcotine 4-7%, codeine 0.4-1%, thebagan 0.4-0.8%, papaverine 0.4-0.7%, and naleczin 0.2-0.5%. In addition, there are ketamine, coquinamine, cryptopine, scopolamine, hydrogenated coquinamine, lanolin, laurodane, laurodine, laurodine, maconidine, papaverine, neopine, oxynarcotine, papaverine, purple opium, pseudomorphine, polimorphine, and opium yellow.

[Pharmacological action] Opium contains more than twenty kinds of alkaloids, but only four of them, namely morphine, codeine, papaverine and narcotine, are commonly used in clinical practice. The content of other alkaloids is low and has no effect on the effects of opium.

[Toxicity] Adverse reactions after taking morphine include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, urgency and difficulty urinating, sweating, biliary colic, etc., but the most dangerous one is respiratory depression. Acute morphine poisoning has three main characteristics: drowsiness, pupil constriction and respiratory depression. Breathing may be as slow as 2 to 4 times per minute, and Cheyne-Stokes respiration may be seen. The patient is cyanotic. Morphine has an excitatory effect on the spinal cord. Infants poisoned by morphine may experience convulsions, but the tonic type is rare. Blood pressure is normal in the early stages of poisoning, but shock may occur if hypoxia is not corrected. Newborns are very sensitive to morphine, apparently because their respiratory center is not yet stable, and possibly because their drug-enzyme system is not yet fully developed and their ability to detoxify morphine is still insufficient. Generally speaking, morphine is prohibited within 6 months after birth. For people with hypothyroidism, even a small amount of morphine can cause poisoning, so it is also prohibited.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, warm, poisonous.

[entry into meridians] Enters the lung, kidney and large intestine meridians.

【Functions and indications】 Strengthens the lungs, relieves cough, astringes the intestines, and relieves pain. Treat chronic cough, chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, rectal prolapse, and pain in the heart, abdomen, muscles and bones.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral administration: in the form of pills or powder, 0.5 to 1 fen.

【Note】 It is addictive and should not be used continuously for a long time. It is not recommended for patients with severe liver impairment, cor pulmonale, bronchial asthma, damp-heat stagnation, infants, and breastfeeding women to take the medicine.

[Additional prescription] ① For treating chronic dysentery: Take a small amount of opium beans, dissolve in warm water on an empty stomach, take once a day. Avoid onions, garlic, and rice water. If you are thirsty, drink honey water to quench your thirst. (Medical Collection)

【Discussions by various scholars】 ① "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Ophelia has the same smell as millet husk, but it is even better at stopping diarrhea. Therefore, if children with smallpox have diarrhea, use 5 li to 1 fen of it, and they will recover. No other medicine can compare to it."

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From Compendium of Materia Medica

Opium is often used in the treatment of some diseases. It can be made into a compound prescription or used alone as needed. However, opium should not be consumed blindly to avoid adverse effects on the body.