ABSTRACT
The corn or Flanders poppy, Papaver rhoeas, is a common sight in European fields and roadside verges where its bright red petals lift the spirits. From earliest times, poppies have been used to treat pain, as a sedative, and as a cough suppressant, either by ingestion or by absorption of their opiates through the skin. Papaver rhoeas contains thebaine and rhoeadine which are both mild analgesics and sedatives. The opiate-filled darts are usually dispensed with the antidote so that if the user inadvertently scratches themselves with the dart, death from respiratory failure can be avoided by administration of the antidote. The development of potent opioids has been expanded by the development of fully synthetic compounds such as fentanyl, whose high potency and ease of absorption from skin patches has led to its widespread use as an easy-to-administer, long-acting analgesic that can be taken even by those temporarily unable to swallow.
