Common Names
Argemone - Prickly Poppy, Mexican Poppy, bluestem
Botanical Name
Argemone mexicana
Family
Papaveraceae
Medicinal Uses
Used as a mild pain-killer, treatment of warts, cold sores, cutaneous affections, skin diseases, itches, coughs and other chest pains.
Properties
Analgesic, Psychedelic.
Parts Used
Seeds, leaves, flowers
Constituents
argemone oil or katkar oil, which contains the toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine.
Habitat
Dry soils along roadsides and in waste places and fields. South western N. America.
Side Effects
Argemone - Prickly Poppy contain 22-36% of a pale yellow non-edible oil, called argemone oil or katkar oil, which contains the toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine.
How to Prepare
The seeds are smoked, the seed oil is used in topical applications, the whole fresh plant can be made into a tincture
