This potent remedy has been known to mankind since time immemorial. Opium or opium is a drug derived from the milky juice extracted from the unripe pods of the poppy (Papaver somniferum). This feature of the plant has been known to people for many centuries. Opium is a substance containing many alkaloids. Among them, only a part, called the phenanthrene group, has a narcotic effect on the human body and animals. Previously, opiates were widely used as powerful painkillers. However, due to the fact that they caused addiction of a narcotic nature, today they are used in official medicine only as a raw material for such medications as codeine or papaverine. On the black market, opium is in demand for heroin.
Translation of "opium"
Etymology says that the name opium comes from the ancient Greek ὀπός, which means "vegetable juice".
In ancient Greece, its properties were widely used. Hesiod also mentioned it,who lived in the seventh century BC, and Herodotus in the fifth century. Even Homer himself defined opium as a drink that relieves grief, allows you to forget sadness and renounce the worries of this world.
The Sumerians and Odysseus
Scientists have come to the conclusion that opium is a remedy that has been known to people for the past six millennia! After all, its action as a sleeping pill was mentioned by the Sumerians on their clay tablets. The Minoan culture also understood the poppy. This is confirmed by archaeological finds. So, in the hands of one of the ancient figurines you can see the head of this plant. Hippocrates wrote about him. With the help of opium, according to some researchers, she drugged Odysseus and his comrades Circe in the work of Homer.
Procession through Asia
In southern Asia, the drug came into use thanks to Alexander the Great (fourth century BC). It was the troops of the famous commander who brought the culture of using the product there, and the plant itself. Already in the first millennium of our era, this addiction spread to India and China. And in Southeast Asia, smoking the drug has become popular, replacing the use of it inside.
And again - to Europe
The notorious Paracelsus also knew the meaning of the word "opium". Researchers tend to believe that it was he who prescribed the first medication in Europe, which was made from "milk", to the patient (in the 16th century). Paracelsus called this substance the "stone of immortality" and often used it in practice. Medicinal tincture based onalcohol and poppy Paracelsus called laudanum. This remedy was considered a panacea for all ailments for three long centuries. It was used for weakness, exhaustion, insomnia, excessive excitement, cough and diarrhea, bleeding and pain. As you can see, an incredibly wide range. The exposure-publication of "Confessions of an Opiophage", written by Tom de Quincey, saw the light in 1821 (the poet himself died from the abuse of the aforementioned laudanum). However, opium did not immediately disappear from the pharmaceutical industry. The peak of its use in Europe came at the end of the 19th century. At this time, morphine was freely available in pharmacies.
Opium: what is it
The technology for making a potion is quite simple. It has not undergone major changes over the past centuries. The remedy is obtained from the so-called "sleepy" poppy. Its unripe heads are incised, but only after the petals fall. The white substance, resembling resin in consistency, hardens and darkens when dried. This is a drug that was popular in the past, containing morphine with codeine and papaverine together. There are about twenty alkaloid components in poppy.
Where they grow
In the modern world, the main poppy plantations for obtaining this substance are located in the Golden Triangle, which includes Laos with Burma and part of Thailand. The country that produces the most opium is Afghanistan. There, the area under crops exceeds all coca plantations in Latin America. According to statistics, in 2006Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world's raw materials. It is noteworthy that few of the local population there consider poppy cultivation to be something illegal.
In the Soviet Union and in the post-Soviet space
In the territories of the USSR (and after its collapse), industrial poppy plantations were in Kyrgyzstan (Issyk-Kul region). Scientists have developed new breeding varieties of plants, for example, the early one - "Przhevalsky-222". The technique was also improved, which makes it possible to obtain about 35 kilograms of raw material from each hectare of poppy sowing. This corresponds to 5 kilograms of pure morphine. Back in 1953, the USSR entered the seven countries - official exporters of opium. An interesting fact: in a socialist country, opium tincture as a remedy for the stomach was banned only in 1952!
Status in the legal field
Today, only medicines are officially produced from purified alkaloids. Their leave is limited by special laws. The drug is officially included in the list of narcotic substances. Their circulation in the Russian Federation is prohibited, according to international treaties.
Effect on the human body
When people start using opium, all problems seem to go away, calmness, satisfaction appear. A person who has used a dose of a drug begins to feel that he is the most needed and the best in the world. This is a clear sign that drugs (both opium and heroin) have affected changes in the body that have reached a critical stage.
According to the assurances of inveterate drug addicts, opium can be adored, and throughhate for a few minutes, cursing the very day when this drug penetrated life. As soon as its action ends, all the colors of the day fade, and fear and hopelessness take possession of a person. No wonder people are eager to get another dose so they can return to the dream world of happiness again.
It is important to remember that the life of an addict, according to statistics, is shorter by 10-14 years. These people lose their families, jobs, themselves, becoming like zombies. Therefore, you need to think carefully about whether to try opium. There are hundreds of other ways to diversify your leisure time in life.
