Papaver somniferum

The opium poppy...

Read an article in the Guardian the other day about "natural" vs. "synthetic" drugs - legal and illegal. Nothing more "natural" than this old stalwart.

Opiates of many colours derived from this natural source. Codeine, morphine, diamorphine (aka heroin - available to prescribe for pain relief in the UK, not in the USA...). Also various manipulations of the basic alkaloid into semi-synthetic drugs with varying activities and uses...

Remarkable.

Here ends today's lesson - N.B. not googled or from wiki etc.! ;-)