Botanical Index No. 818

Prickly Poppy

argemone mexicana

Medicinal Actions

Colic

Primary Conditions Treated

Asthma Bacteria Bleeding Blennorrhagia Cancer Cardiopathy Catarrh Chancre Childbirth Cholecystosis Cholera Cold Conjunctivosis Constipation Corneal Opacity Cough Dentition Dermatosis Diarrhea Dropsy Dysentery Dysuria Eczema Enterosis Epilepsy Eruption Fever Fungus Gastrosis Gonorrhea Guinea Worm Headache Heart Hepatosis Herpes High Blood Pressure HIV Hyperglycemia Infection Inflammation Insomnia Intoxication Itch Jaundice Leishmaniasis Low Blood Pressure Malaria Mycosis Nervousness Ophthalmia Pain Parasite Pertussis Pneumonia Rheumatism Ringworm Scabies Snakebite Sore Splenomegaly Splenosis Strangury Syphilis Tapeworm Toothache Trachoma Tuberculosis Virus Wart Water Retention Wound

General Dosage

30 mimims oil; thimble full of seeds as emetic.

Safety & Contraindications

Ingestion of the seed oil can cause anemia, diarrhea, dysentery, high-tension glaucoma, and vomiting due to the ‘carcinogenic’ alkaloid, sanguinarine. Toxicity is due to interaction of sanguinarine and 11-oxo-triacontanoic acid. Milk of cows fed prickly poppy can cause glaucoma. LD50 of argemone oil = 9 ml/kg ipr mouse; sanguinarine 18 mg/kg. Seeds contain berberine, which may be helpful in MDR-resistant tuberculosis.

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