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Opium. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine, theabaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine. The Roman physician Scribonius described the preparation of opium in his formulary.
S: Hyosc: Nigr (Hyosciamus Niger). 'Common Henbane' or 'Black Henbane'. Species of poisonous vegetable resembling the parsnip and native to Great Britain. Its effects are similar to those of opium, relieving pain, allaying irritability, and producing sleep. However, it has the advantage of not constipating the bowels, as opium does. Henbane, when administered skillfully, is a valuable sedative.
Opium, Opii, and Ext: Opii. All of these names were used on drug jars to denote that a particular jar contained opium. Some of the drug jars held opium extracts, while one held diluted opium. Opium, a narcotic drug derived from the poppy, was used in the treatment of sleeplessness, insanity, melancholia, and delirium tremens.
Opio (Opium). The poppy cultivated for opium production is Papaver somniferum, a white poppy growing to a height of about 1 - 2 feet.
Opio (Opium). The poppy seed capsule is incised and the milky exudate is left to dry. After that, the brown tacky substance is harvested.
Opii. This detailed view shows an immature seedpod.
Ext: Papaver: (Papaverine). In 1848, the apothecary Georg Franz Merck (1825 - 1873) discovered papaverine. This was a non-narcotic alkaloid used its antispasmodic effects.
Pil: Opii (Opium). 'Pil' is an abbreviation of 'pilulae' or 'pills'. In the Middle Ages, the majority of pain relieving mixtures contained at least one of these three ingredients: opium, henbane, or mandrake.
Opiat: Febrif: (Febrifuga or feverfew). Medicine used to reduce or remove fevers. Joined with 'opiat', which denotes an opiate, it was most likely used to calm and reduce fever.
This jar is decorated with poppy flowers. The flower depicted here is more likely the Flanders or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) and not the true poppy (Papaver somniferum) used for opium production.
Ext. Opii (Opium). In 1914, the Harrison Act restricted the distribution opium derivatives of narcotics to use for medicinal purposes, in order to minimize the spread of drug addiction. In form and classification it was a revenue measure.
Ext. Cicuta (Water Hemlock). Water hemlock was used to relieve migraine headaches. Water hemlock is considered to be the most poisonous plant growing in North America.
Ong: Popul: (Populus Ointment). Ong is likely the abbreviation of 'onguent', which is French for 'unguent'. An unguent was an ointment or plaster diluted with oil to the consistency of stiff honey.
Tinct. Opio (Tincture of Opium or Laudanum). In 19th century England, laudanum was often sold by shopkeepers, who kept their laudanum in large containers. The liquid was measured into any container the customer provided. It was a drug used by the working class to treat many minor complaints.

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