Thursday, July 2, 2009

Poppy Seeds and All Its Goodness

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.

Many of us may have eaten a lot of poppy seeds, but the important information related to poppy seeds is known only to food enthusiasts and those whose job are in line with cooking. Considering the many others who barely know these seeds, the following paragraphs are written to inform about the facts of poppy seeds which will surely leave a mark in our memory. If you want to know what they are, follow along.

Asia, due to its climate, has the best soil for poppy plants. Poppy plant bears poppy seeds at its head. The seeds are small and dried which come with a nutty flavor.

Although in the present time poppy seeds are mostly used for cooking foods, during the ancient times they were mainly used for medicinal purposes. In Greece, Hippocrates introduced these seeds to his fellow Greeks as a medicine for insomnia. Todays time, poppy seeds are introduced as herbal remedies for curing coughs, earaches and toothaches. In addition, these seeds are also long known to fight off inflammation, fever, dysentery among other sickness. Hence, it is no wonder why poppy pods are widely cultivated today as much as in the previous centuries.

As a food ingredient, poppy seeds are used in baking pastries as condiments, baked in or sprinkled. They are usual ingredients for rolls, breads, and cakes. Aside from being tasty, poppy seeds are desirable foods for their nutritional value. Each seed contains linoeic acid, oleic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to its nutritional value, poppy seeds have extracts which can be used for cooking and making soaps.

Apart from its health benefits, poppy seeds are perceived to be a symbol of fertility and prosperity. They are used in rituals and as amulets to fight off bad luck and to attract love, money, and luck. Red poppy seeds are 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.

Getting all these facts about poppy seeds is definitely beneficial to be able to get the best out of the seeds and get rid of the threats they can pose to our mental and physical health.

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