California Poppy Herb 100g, 50 g, 25 g

California Poppy Herb  – 100 g ($23.99), 50 g ($14.99), 25 g ($9.99)

Benefits:
Perhaps the best and most well-known use for California poppy is as a nervine, which means an herb that acts like a soothing tonic for your nervous system to ease stress, tension, and anxiety. Early American herbalists and indigenous peoples both used California poppy to promote relaxation and aid mood disorders like anxiety, depression, and exhaustion. California poppy is especially notable because it’s considered gentle enough to be safe for children. It was even once used to help with bedwetting that was connected to anxiety at night. It also combines well with other calming herbs like lemon balm or chamomile.

The California poppy contains a variety of plant compounds, including alkaloids. These compounds act on GABA receptors, which are distributed throughout your central nervous system. GABA receptors respond to the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which inhibits neuron firing. It’s one of the main neurotransmitters responsible for sleep regulation (5). Drugs or compounds that enhance GABA receptors — increasing the amount of GABA in your body — have sedative effects, while those that inhibit GABA receptors have stimulative effects (6).

Alkaloids in California poppy, including protopine and allocryptopine, interact with GABA receptors. While studies are limited, some research suggests that this plant has sedative properties (4).

Sleep  Because of its calming effects, California poppy can be very effective at promoting sleep, especially when used to help with sleeplessness caused by stress, anxiety, or nervous energy. In a clinical study published in Phytotherapy Research (2014), researchers found that California Poppy had mild sedative effects, helping to improve sleep quality and reduce symptoms of insomnia. The flower can be as effective as pharmaceutical sleep aids without the risk of dependency or grogginess the next morning. Therefore, you can take it before bedtime to enhance your sleep quality. Limited evidence suggests that California poppy may promote sleep when mixed with valerian.

Like the alkaloids found in California poppy, compounds in valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) — like valerenol and valerenic acid — enhance the response of GABA in your body, leading to sedative effects (7).

In a 1-month study including 36 people with insomnia, taking up to 4 tablets nightly of a supplement containing 80 mg of California poppy extract and 32 mg of valerian root extract led to significant improvements in sleep duration and sleep efficiency (8). At the study’s end, the participants’ Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) decreased by about 30% (8). However, this study didn’t have a control group. Plus, the researchers were employed by the supplement company, which may have influenced the results (8). Aside from this one study, there’s limited human evidence on California poppy’s sleep effects. What’s more, no evidence indicates that California poppy treats sleep disorders when taken on its own. As such, its effectiveness is unknown.

Anxiety, Sedative  California Poppy has natural calming properties that can help relieve stress and anxiety. The active compounds, including alkaloids like protopine and allocryptopine, have mild sedative effects. By gently relaxing the nervous system, California Poppy helps ease anxiety without making you feel groggy. A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2016) about the effects of California Poppy on anxiety indicated that the extract showed significant anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects comparable to conventional treatments, with none of the harsh side effects.

Research in humans and animals suggests that California poppy extract may have sedative and anxiety-reducing effects. However, these studies are all from the 1990s or early 2000s, so their conclusions should be taken with a grain of salt.

For example, an older study found that California poppy extract had anti-anxiety and sleep-inducing effects in mice. Another older rodent study found that the extract helped relieve pain (9, 10).

Additionally, a 3-month study in 264 people with mild to moderate anxiety demonstrated that taking 2 tablets containing California poppy extract, hawthorn extract, and magnesium twice daily reduced anxiety symptoms more effectively than a placebo (11). Although these findings seem promising, no human research suggests that California poppy is effective for any of these conditions on its own.

Pain  Like other poppies, another one of the benefits of California poppy is pain relief. This makes California Poppy an analgesic or natural pain reliever. Whether you’re dealing with headaches, muscle pain, or joint discomfort, this flower can help soothe and reduce pain.

Its compounds work on the central nervous system to relieve pain naturally. Over time, regular use can significantly reduce chronic pain and inflammation, offering a natural alternative to synthetic painkillers. Traditionally, the root was utilized specifically for tooth pain and the whole plant for nerve-related pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and more.

As mentioned earlier, California poppy is an especially beneficial herb for pain relief (and for other uses) because it does not have a narcotic effect and is non-addictive. It can be used both internally as a tea or tincture or externally as a lotion, infused oil, or salve to rub into sore muscles and nerves.

Muscle Relaxation  California Poppy is a great option for those who suffer from muscle spasms or tightness. Its relaxing effects can ease muscle tension and promote flexibility. The plant’s compounds help to relax muscles, which can relieve cramping and soreness. If you’re dealing with stiff muscles from stress or exercise, incorporating California Poppy into your routine could help you unwind and relax.

Digestion  California Poppy is known for its mild laxative effects, helping to improve digestion and relieve constipation. The compounds in the flower promote smooth muscle function in the digestive tract, easing bloating and discomfort. Whether you struggle with occasional digestive issues or need a gentle daily boost, this herb can help keep things moving. It’s best to drink California Poppy tea or use it in capsule form for digestive support.

Antidepressant  Beyond just relaxing you, California Poppy can also help manage mild symptoms of depression. The flower has mood-boosting properties that are thought to work by influencing neurotransmitters that regulate mood, such as serotonin. While it’s not a substitute for clinical treatment, using California Poppy regularly can improve mood and help reduce feelings of sadness, especially when combined with a healthy lifestyle.

Mental Clarity, Focus  Despite its calming properties, California Poppy does not cause drowsiness. Instead, it helps maintain mental clarity while reducing stress. Regular use of this flower may help improve focus and cognitive function, allowing you to stay sharp while managing stress. Whether you’re studying, working, or simply trying to improve your mental performance, this natural remedy can help you stay clear-headed and productive.

Antispasmodic Effect  Herbs with antispasmodic action help to calm and relax muscle spasms. They can be used for a wide range of issues, but California poppy is particularly beneficial for gut-related problems and menstrual cramping. It can also help with tension headaches and spasmodic coughing and is most powerful when used for any condition that is stress-related (for example, asthma attacks or headaches set off by stress).

Topical Cleanser  A final way to get the benefits of California poppy is by using it topically as a wash, tincture, ointment, etc. In certain Native American tribes, the root and/or whole plant were commonly used as an infusion or juice to cleanse wounds and other skin issues. The herb could also be infused into oil and turned into a liniment for sore muscles. Interestingly, it seems that the root was also chopped and turned into something like a poultice that was applied fresh to certain types of injuries.

Botanical Name: Eschscholzia californica
English: California poppy
Also, known as:
Habitat: Europe and Asia
Origin: Hungary
Harvested: Wild or Cultivated
Part used: Leaves

General Information:

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is a gorgeous orange flower that belongs to the poppy family. It’s the state flower of California and grows natively along much of the western coast of the U.S. as well as northwestern Mexico.

In the wild, you’ll find California poppy growing on sunny hillsides, fields, and roadsides. It gets about a foot and a half tall and wide with finely cut blue-green foliage that almost looks like dill. If you don’t live where California poppy is native, you can easily add it to your garden as an annual or short-lived perennial (in USDA zones 6-10). It does best in full sun and thrives in dry, sandy, and/or rocky soil. Unlike other types of poppies, including the somewhat infamous opium poppy, California poppy does not have a narcotic effect and is not addictive.

The entire plant– leaves, flowers, seeds, roots– can and has been used for medicinal purposes and has played a key role in the traditional medicine of certain Native American tribes. For example, the roots were used either externally or internally as a cleansing agent and also chewed to relieve tooth pain. The flowers were placed under the pillow to aid sleep or decocted to make a soothing tea. The leaves were used not only as a medicinal remedy but also as a spring green that was enjoyed as food. Today, not many people know all that California poppy can do, or they make the mistaken assumption that it has narcotic effects like other poppies. However, this plant remains a treasured one for many, especially herbalists in its native domain.

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

How Much To Use:
It is common that 10g of a fresh herb = 1g when dehydrated.
Powdered Herb A commonly cited adult range for dried flowering herb is 1–3 grams/day, which may be divided or taken as a single bedtime amount.
Infusion (tea): Add 1 cup of hot water to 1 tsp. of dried herb. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. To aid in sleep, drink one cup in the evening.