California Poppy Extract
California Poppy, also known as Eschscholzia californica, California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight, or cup of gold is a flowering plant from the Papaveraceae family. It grows in the United States and Mexico, being California’s official state flower.
What is California Poppy Extract?
Its native habitat includes California, extending to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and northwest Baja California.
The parts that grow above the ground are being used for medical purposes, in order to cure health issues such as insomnia, aches, nervous agitation, depression, incontinence, bladder and liver diseases. It is also known as the “relaxation plant”.
Since it has pain relieving abilities, doctors recommend it as a natural alternative for Oxycodone, Motrin, Ibuprofen, Percocet and Vicodent. The Native Americans used their leaves and seeds in cooking, and their pollen in cosmetics. Nowadays, medical professionals use extracts from this plant for creating medicines with amazing health benefits.
What Are The Most Important Compounds In California Poppy Extract?
The main active ingredients in this plant are alkaloids such as chelirubine, sanguinarine and macarpine. Some other alkaloids are present in lower concentrations, with flavonglycosides.
Being mild in effectiveness and impact, the most appreciated health properties of this plant are sedative, analgesic and antispasmodic. It is true that California poppy contains sedative alkaloids, yet it doesn’t contain any opium.
Health Benefits Of California Poppy Extract Supplements
Affections such as ADD and ADHD in both children and adults are being dealt with, by using this natural remedy. Its sedative properties make it possible for the treatment to actually function. Medicines made from the same extract have been used to improve intellectual capacity, memory and concentration in seniors.
However, before using the plant or medicines made from it, it is advisable to talk with a health specialist.
Dentists recommend it as an herbal remedy for teeth pain. In older days, people would cut the plant’s root and apply it to the damaged zone. If it’s being made into a tincture, it starts to develop antimicrobial properties that heal cuts and scrapes. Due to its antispasmodic and analgesic effects, it is of great use against acute nerve and muscular centered pain.
Does California Poppy Extract Help Patients With Chronic Arthritis?
Since this is a pain relieving product, scientists have decided to run some tests on the patients suffering from chronic arthritis. This is a very painful disease and the medicines for it affect the way other bodily systems function. Therefore, a natural alternative would have been much better.
Therefore, this study revealed how most of the patients reported clinical improvements after only 28 days of treatment. 14 days of treatment noted many benefits with ongoing improvement over the next 14 days, respectively the 28th day. 14 days of treatment brought into the light health benefits such as reduced pain, reduced stiffness, better sleep, reduced swelling, and improved flexibility in movement.
More than this, the patient became much more resistant to efforts. After the entire treatment was over the benefits included increased mobility, decreased swelling, decreased tenderness, less painful range of motion, decreased pain, less difficulty when it came to simple physical efforts, and a much better flexibility. This study used an extract dosage equivalent to 2 grams of the dried herb and it was given to patients at night.
It was a standardized extract. There was also a study done in patients with acute pain. In this study, 2.5 grams of the dried herb top were used. Pain was reduced in the majority of patients after 7 days.
Both trials also used California poppy in combination with a strong anti-inflammatory herb called Devil's claw, which is also known to be a great bone helper.
