California Poppy Recipes
Now that we have spend a month getting to know California poppy and how it can help with both sleep and pain, let’s look at a few recipes to play with.
California Poppy Glycerite
Glycerites are alcohol-free herbal extractions that are good options for children and those who do not consume alcohol. Their potency is a bit lower than an alcohol-based tincture, but just like any herbal medicine, you will want to experiment to find a good dose for you. Glycerites can be used as simples - one herb only, or mixed with additional herbs to create a more complex and individualized medicine. While getting to know your herbs, simples are a great way to start!
Ingredients:
Fresh California poppy - whole plant with flowers, green seed pods, leaves, stems, and roots. Be sure to wash those roots well.
Vegetable glycerine
Instructions:
Add plant matter to a blender, and cover with vegetable glycerine. Blend everything together well adding additional glycerine if needed. Transfer to a jar and allow to sit for 4-6 weeks shaking the contents as you remember.
Strain solid plant material out and transfer to a clean jar or bottles with droppers.
I like to use this glycerite when feeling overly anxious or to help me wind down for sleep at the end of a busy day.
Sleepy Time Tea
This is a popular tea blend in my household and is made with dried plant materials. I like to make a big pot of this tea after dinner and hand out mugs to everyone in the house. It’s a pleasant, warm, fragrant, and tasty evening ritual.
Ingredients:
2 parts dried skullcap leaf
1 part dried California poppy flowers
0.5 parts dried fennel seeds
0.25 parts dried stevia leaf
I usually mix together 2 cups skullcap, 1 cup poppy flowers, 1/2 cup fennel seeds, and 1/4 cup stevia leaves in a big bowl and then transfer into a glass mason jar.
To brew tea: use 1 tsp -1Tbsp blend per 8oz of boiling hot water
Relaxing Herbal Smoking Blend
For those who enjoy smoking their herbs, California poppy can be consumed this way too. This blend can be used to fill a pipe, can be rolled into a cigarette, or burned as incense and inhaled from a distance.
Ingredients
Dried herbs of your choice - enough to fit into a tight sealing container of your choice - a breath mint tin makes a good size container that can easily fit inside a pocket.
Suggestions for herbs: California Poppy, Mullein leaf, Mugwort leaf, Lavender, tobacco leaf, skullcap leaf, uva ursi leaf, marshmallow, rose petals
Smoke when you are desiring a relaxing effect - this is not a stimulating blend.
California Poppy Seed Treats
California poppy seeds can be used in foods or ground and mixed with honey to create a mellowing treat. Some parents swear by poppy seeds mixed with honey as a bedtime treat for wound up little ones. Just be aware that as with opium poppy seeds, California poppy seeds can show up on a urine opiate screen,.
I hope you have enjoyed learning about California poppy, pain, sleep, and a few new recipes this month. Please feel free to share your thoughts and impressions or any additional California poppy recipes that you love.
Next month, we will feature a few herbs grouped together. They are what many herbalists lovingly refer to as “the spaghetti herbs”. I’m sure you have a few guesses as to who I’m talking about.
To our health!
