California Poppy Dreamer

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 juice^2,3.

1. 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.
2. Natural Medicines (2015). California Poppy Monograph.  Retrieved in July, 2016.  Retrieved from www.naturalmedicines.com
3. Petersen, D. (2016).  Course Material.  HERB503, Advanced Herbal Materia Medica II.  American College of Healthcare Sciences.  www.achs.edu.