Monday, June 29, 2009

Poppy Seeds and Its Benefits

By Amanda Rush

Being fond of food may have led you to click on this page, or maybe mere fact hunting has brought your attention to this article. Whatever motivation drives you, this article offers facts about one type of seeds popularly used in baking pastries which are called poppy seeds.

Although pastries are sold in large quantities everyday, many people rarely take time to find out the facts about the poppy seeds sprinkled in these pastries. Only food enthusiasts and people who work as chefs or cook know the important information related to poppy seeds. If you want to be one of the few who know the facts, read on and find out.

Asias general climate provide for the most suitable temperature for the poppy seeds to grow. The seeds are actually taken from the head of poppy plants and are like nuts when tasted.

Although mainly used as food ingredient today, during the ancient times poppy seeds were popularly used as medicines. In Greece, they were introduced by Hippocrates as a remedy for insomnia. Today, health experts have found out the other medicinal benefits of poppy seeds. It is found out that poppy seeds are effective cure for coughs, earaches, toothaches, inflammation, fever, dysentery and the list goes on. For these, poppies are cultivated in many parts of the world.

Poppy seeds are most popular today as food ingredients in different pastries. Most of the time, they are sprinkled in cakes, bread or rolls. Aside from its nutty taste, poppy seeds are very enticing to eat because of the nutrients each seed contains. The seeds contain linoeic acid, oleic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, the seeds have extracts that can be used in cooking and making soaps.

Aside from being a great health food, poppy seeds represent symbols. They are considered symbol of fertility and prosperity, hence used in rituals and used as amulets to fight off bad luck and invite love, money and luck. It is also a symbol for fallen warriors.

Poppy seeds may bring a lot of advantages, but they can also be dangerous when taken without knowing its negative effects. Aside from nutrients, poppy seeds contain alkaloids such as morphine and codeine which are addictive. According to health experts, poppy seeds can be eaten when ripe because at that stage alkaloids are only minimal and hardly detrimental to the body. Unripe seeds contain a lot of alkaloids, hence can pose danger to physical and mental health.

Knowing all these facts is very necessary in order to know how we can benefit most from poppy seeds and how to avoid their undesirable effects.

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