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Being fond of food may have led you to click on this page, or maybe mere fact hunting has brought your attention to this article. Whatever is your case, this article will let you know about the facts of poppy seeds which are widely used as ingredients in our favorite pastries.

Although pastries are sold in large quantities everyday, many people rarely take time to find out the facts about the poppy seeds sprinkled in these pastries. Only food enthusiasts and people who work as chefs or cook know the important information related to poppy seeds.  If you want to know what they are, follow along.

Asia’s general climate provide for the most suitable temperature for the poppy seeds to grow. Poppy seeds, which are found at the head of poppy plants, are small dried seeds that taste like nuts.

Although in the present time poppy seeds are mostly used for cooking foods, during the ancient times they were mainly used for medicinal purposes. Hippocrates brought these seeds in Greece that were prescribed for patients suffering from insomnia. Today’s time, poppy seeds are introduced as herbal remedies for curing coughs, earaches and toothaches. Because of these benefits, poppy pods are cultivated in many parts of the globe.

Most of the time, poppy seeds are used in baking and are used as condiments or baked in or sprinkled on our favorite pastries. Most of the time, they are sprinkled in cakes, bread or rolls. Aside from its nutty taste, poppies are very enticing to eat because of the nutrients each seed contains.  Each seed contains linoeic acid, oleic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to nutritional value, poppy seeds’ extracted oil can be used in cooking and soap making.

Poppy seeds are not only appealing to food lovers and the health conscious but to those who sound superstitious also and are thought of as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. They are used in rituals and as amulets to fight off bad luck and to attract love, money, and luck. Red poppy seeds are also a symbol for fallen warriors.

Poppy seeds may bring a lot of advantages, but they can also be dangerous when taken without knowing its negative effects. Aside from nutrients, poppy seeds contain alkaloids such as morphine and codeine which are addictive. Health experts prohibit consumers from eating the unripe seeds and recommend the ripe ones instead. Unripe seeds contain a lot of alkaloids, hence can pose danger to physical and mental health.

Getting acquainted with all this information is significant as poppy seeds are loaded with opposing benefits that can destroy or improve our health.

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