Common Name: Prickly Poppy

General Information

Prickly poppy is an erect, branched, annual to perennial plant with prickly stems and leaves, growing around 60cm tall.
The plant has a wide range of traditional medicinal applications and also provides an oil. It is often grown as an ornamental.
Able to grow in a wide range of habitats from the subhumid to the semi-arid, the plant has often escaped from cultivation and become naturalised. It is classified as 'Invasive' in many areas[].

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant, including the seed, contain toxic alkaloids[].
The seed oil is toxic, causing intense pain all over the body, diarrhoea or constipation, and fever[].
The seeds have caused many fatalities in poultry[]
The dried leaves are considered poisonous in fodder for cattle[].

Botanical References

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Range

South-western N. America. Widely naturalized.

Habitat

Dry soils along roadsides and in waste places and fields[, ]. Mainly found on open waste ground, along roadsides, in fields as a weed and along railways; mostly near sea level but occasionally ascending to 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Self, Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prickly poppy occurs mainly in regions with a pronounced dry season, mostly at sea-level, but sometimes up to 3,000 metres[]. It is a very adaptable plant and is also able to grow in subhumid climates. It is not very cold-hardy, however, able to tolerate occasional temperatures down to around -5 and -10°c[]. It is often grown as an annual in temperate climates, able to flower in its first year from seed[].
Easily grown in a light soil in a sunny position[, , ]. Does best in a poor well-drained soil[]. Plants can tolerate a wide range of soils[].
The plant can flower and produce seed all year round[].
The plant resents being transplanted and should be sown in situ[].

Edible Uses

Leaves[] No further details are given but caution is advised, see the notes on toxicity at the top of the page.

Medicinal

Prickly poppy is highly esteemed as a medicinal plant throughout tropical America. The roots, leaves and seeds are registered officially in the Mexican pharmacopoeia[].
The whole plant is analgesic, antispasmodic, depurative, emetic, emmenagogue, possibly hallucinogenic, sedative and vulnerary[, , , , , ]. It contains alkaloids similar to those in the opium poppy (P. Somniferum) and so can be used as a mild pain-killer[]. It has been used in the treatment of cancer and epilepsy[].
A decoction of the leaves is drunk as a treatment for ailments of the spleen and liver, and for jaundice or whooping cough. An infusion of the young leaves or flowers is taken to relieve fever, cough and asthma[].

The latex is slighly corrosive, diuretc[]. It has been taken internally in the treatment of dropsy and jaundice[, ].
The fresh yellow, milky, acrid sap contains protein-dissolving substances and has been used topically in the treatment of warts, cold sores, cutaneous affections, skin diseases, itches etc, and has been rubbed onto the body for the relief of rheumatic pain[, , , ]. It has also been used to treat cataracts[].

The root is alterative and has been used in the treatment of chronic skin diseases[, ]. It is prescribed in the treatment of vesicular calculus, whilst it is also used as an eye-wash; a lotion for inflammations; a mouth-wash for toothache; and is taken internally as a treatment for gleet[]. An infusion is given to women to drink at the start of parturition, as well as being used against tapeworm[].

The flowers are expectorant and narcotic[, ]. They have been used in the treatment of coughs and other chest complaints, given to children who are teething, and are used as a remedy for insomnia[, ].

The seed is antidote, cathartic, demulcent, emetic, expectorant and laxative[, , ]. An infusion, in small quantities, is used as a sedative for children, but caution is advised since the oil in the seed is strongly purgative[]. They are useful in the treatment of coughs and catarrhal affections of the throat and pulmonary mucous membrane, and in pertussis and asthma. Though they do not appear to possess any antispasmodic property, they have a distinct effect on asthma, apparently from their combined actions as nauseant, emetic, expectorant and demulcent. As their use is often accompanied by some degree of vomiting and nausea, as a laxative medicine they are more suited to some pulmonary affections than to other diseases[]. The seed has also been used as an antidote to snake poisoning[, ].
The pounded seeds, mixed with mustard oil, are applied externally to treat itchy skin[].
The oil from the seed is demulcent and purgative[, ]. It has been used externally in the treatment of skin problems and headaches[, , , ]. Caution is advised in the use of this oil, prolonged ingestion produces toxic effects resembling those occurring in epidemic dropsy[].

Other Uses

A semi-drying oil is obtained from the seed. It is used for lighting, making soap etc[, , , , , ]. It has been applied to wood in order to give protection from termites[].
A medicinal fixed oil is obtained from the seed[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ[]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 15°c[]. The seed can remain dormant in the soil for many years[].