What are the effects and functions of poppy shell?
Dec 13, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Xiuhong
Introduction
In general, poppy shell is the dried mature fruit peel of the poppy plant. It has a sour and astringent taste, is neutral in property, and toxic. In traditional medicine, it has functions and effects such as sedation and hypnotic action, pain relief, antidiarrheal effects, cough suppression, and spermatorrhea control. Poppy shell has various medicinal benefits, but it also possesses toxicity and potential for addiction. It must be used strictly according to medical instructions, with attention to controlling dosage and duration of use.
Generally speaking, poppy shell is the dried mature fruit husk of the poppy plant. It has a sour and astringent taste, a neutral property, and is toxic. In traditional medicine, poppy shell offers various functions and benefits, including sedative and hypnotic effects, pain relief, antidiarrheal action, cough suppression, and kidney essence consolidation. Detailed explanations are as follows:
1. Sedative and Hypnotic Effects
The alkaloids contained in poppy shell have sedative and hypnotic effects. They can inhibit excitation of the central nervous system, inducing a feeling of calmness and tranquility in patients and helping improve sleep quality.
2. Analgesic Effects
Morphine and other alkaloid components contained in poppy shell have powerful pain-relieving properties. They can effectively reduce pain, particularly providing some relief for chronic pain or postoperative pain.
3. Antidiarrheal Effects
Poppy shell acts on the large intestine meridian and has the function of astringing the intestines and stopping diarrhea. It can enhance the intestinal retention capacity, thereby reducing the frequency of bowel movements. It is effective in treating loose stools caused by prolonged diarrhea or intestinal diseases such as dysentery.
4. Cough Suppression
With its sour and astringent properties, poppy shell primarily acts on the lung meridian. It can inhibit upward lung qi movement and provide some relief for coughing, especially persistent coughing. However, this application must be used cautiously to avoid side effects and dependency.
5. Kidney Essence Consolidation
Poppy shell also has an auxiliary therapeutic effect for kidney-related spermatorrhea. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the kidney stores essence; when kidney qi is unstable, conditions such as nocturnal emission and involuntary ejaculation may occur. The sour and astringent nature of poppy shell can help astringe kidney essence and reduce unnecessary ejaculation.
Poppy shell possesses multiple medicinal benefits, but it also has toxicity and potential for addiction. Therefore, it must be used strictly according to medical instructions, with attention to dosage control and duration of use, avoiding long-term use or abuse.
