Pictured – California Poppies
By: Kathy Sadowski, Master of Science Degree in Aromatherapy, Registered Aromatherapist, LMT, RYT
A ½ tsp of dried California Poppy for tea
Plus I squeeze in a dalop of honey
Oh what a delight
Bet I’ll sleep great tonight!
Eschscholzia californica is its name
Being a sedative is its claim
So I will prepare myself a full cup
Cuz its been a long day and its time to rest up!
But before I take a drink
My inquiring mind can’t help but think
Is there research to demonstrate this sedative action
That gives this folkloric claim some traction?
264 patients needed to get loose
A combo of hawthorn, magnesium and Cali poppy showed their anxiety reduce
So they felt less cruddy
In this double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study.1
So I steeped the herbs for 10 minutes long
Didn’t want the poppy tea to be too strong
Brought the hot tea to my favorite chair
Then the cat came to my lap; we were a fine pair.
Turned the tv on to watch a show
And proceeded to drink my tea nice and slow
The next morning I woke up early and bright
In my same favorite chair I had sat in last night!
Papaveraceae is its family group
Taking it with other sedatives could cause an over- droop
Patients taking MAOs and SSRIs might need to avoid use
And ladies pregnant and breastfeeding shouldn’t drink this juice2,3.
- A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of 264 patients with anxiety showed a combination of hawthorn, California poppy, and magnesium safely reduced symptoms. From: Hanus, M., Lafon, J., & Mathieu, M. (2004). Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fixed combination containing two plant extracts (Crataegus oxyacantha and Eschscholtzia californica) and magnesium in mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders. Current medical research and opinion, 20(1), 63-71.
- Natural Medicines (2015). California Poppy Monograph. Retrieved in July, 2016. Retrieved from www.naturalmedicines.com
- Petersen, D. (2016). Course Material. HERB503, Advanced Herbal Materia Medica II. American College of Healthcare Sciences. www.achs.edu.
