College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

 

AYURVEDIC FOODS

Poppy Seed Benefits (According to Ayurveda)

How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Recipes with Poppy Seed: Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea
Recipes with Poppy Seed: Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea
From the poppy family, contains slight traces of narcotics that, like nutmeg, help induce sleep.

Buying & Preparation

Buy fresh, as the seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats, which make them vulnerable to oxidation and turn rancid. Note: The seeds are so small that a single pound contains between 1 and 2 million seeds.

Cooking Poppy Seed

Poppy seeds are tasteless until roasted, when they take on a nutty flavor. A coffee grinder may be the easiest way of grinding the seeds for use in teas. Poppy seeds have a variety of uses. In New York where I come from they are common as a decorative garnish on kaiser rolls & bagels.

Poppy seed paste is a popular filling in many baked desserts in eastern Europe and the middle east. A delicious paste can be made by combining roasted poppy seeds with honey. The pastes may be flavored with lemon or orange zest, alternatively coconut butter. Fennel, saffron, cardamom and nutmeg combine well with poppy seeds flavor wise.

In Bengali cooking poppy seeds are popularly employed in potato dishes, shrimp recipes, or simply in rice. Poppy seeds many be fried in ghee or butter and drizzled over your favorite dishes. Poppy seeds may be pressed to yield delicious poppyseed oil. Ground seeds are used as a thickening agent in many soups, especially white poppy seeds because they do not alter the color of the soup.

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Is Poppy Seed Good for My Ayurvedic Diet?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether 'Poppy Seed' is a good fit. Complete the basic quiz in 1 minute, or go deeper with additional quizzes at your own leisure to learn more about your body.

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AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.
SERVING SIZE: 1/16 tsp
SPECIES: Papaver somniferum

Metabolic Nature of Poppy Seed

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.
INCREASES
Guna Help

Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas)

Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic.

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COLD

ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD

OILY

ABOUT OILY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY

HEAVY

ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY

TASTES
Taste Help

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?

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ASTRINGENT

ABOUT ASTRINGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying.

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SWEET

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET

DOSHAS
Dosha Help

The Three Doshas / Body Types

According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history.

The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded.

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PACIFIES
Pitta pacifying Vata pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Kapha aggravating
HAS THE FOLLOWING
Subtaste:
Bland

BLAND

Bland means doesn't have much taste. In Chinese medicine, bland taste refers to afood without little macronutrients, such as cabbage, radish or bok choy.

SEE ALL 'BLAND' FOODS / HERBS

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Crunchy

CRUNCHY

Makes an audible noise when you eat them. Can provide fun texture variation.

SEE ALL 'CRUNCHY' FOODS / HERBS


Moves Energy:
Downward

DOWNWARD

Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles.

SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS

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Inward

INWARD

Inward moving substances promote introspection, self reflection, stillness, or slow the system down.

SEE ALL 'INWARD' FOODS / HERBS


Tissue (dhatu):
Bone

BONE

Bone tissue (Asthi Dhatu) includes the bones, hair, and nails.

SEE ALL 'BONE' FOODS / HERBS

,
Reproductive

REPRODUCTIVE

Reproductive tissue (Shukra/Artava Dhatu) includes male and female reproductive organs.

SEE ALL 'REPRODUCTIVE' FOODS / HERBS


Affinity: Bowel Poop Elimination,
Energy Vitality

ENERGY-VITALITY

Includes vitality improving foods, herbs, and exercises by dosha.

SEE ALL 'ENERGY-VITALITY' FOODS / HERBS

, Mind Stress Sleep, Reproductive Health
HERBAL ACTIONS
(see all)

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Poppy Seed
Help
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Appetite Suppressant

APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT

Suppresses hunger without causing weight gain.

SEE ALL 'APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

Relieves Burning

RELIEVES-BURNING

Herbs that soothe a burn or reduce an internal burning sensation, such as aloe vera.

SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-BURNING' FOODS / HERBS

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Constipative

CONSTIPATIVE

An herb that binds stools / stops diarrhea. When used in excess, these herbs and foods can cause constipation.

SEE ALL 'CONSTIPATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Makes You Tired

MAKES-YOU-TIRED

Induces drowsiness and promotes sound sleep.

SEE ALL 'MAKES-YOU-TIRED' FOODS / HERBS

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Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

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Relaxes Eyes

RELAXES-EYES

Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver.

SEE ALL 'RELAXES-EYES' FOODS / HERBS

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Stimulates Base Of Skull

STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL

Creates a feeling of awareness or tension in the area at the base of the skull.

SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL' FOODS / HERBS

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Analgesic

ANALGESIC

Pain reliever, reduces pain without eliminating sensation. Also known as anodyne.

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Anxiolytic

ANXIOLYTIC

Herbs that help people suffering from anxiety or panic. They promote a state of calm and often improve sleep. Most anxiolytic herbs are also nervines.

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Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

SEE ALL 'SEDATIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Builds Stamina

BUILDS-STAMINA

Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion.

SEE ALL 'BUILDS-STAMINA' FOODS / HERBS

Antipruritic

ANTIPRURITIC

Antipruritics are herbs that inhibit itching, often associated with skin conditions such as sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, fungal infections, insect bites, or contact dermatitis (as in poison ivy rashes).

SEE ALL 'ANTIPRURITIC' FOODS / HERBS

Antitussive

ANTITUSSIVE

Cough suppressant, particularly for dry coughs or a tickle in your throat.

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Calms Heart

CALMS-HEART

An herb that literally calms the heart. These herbs are helpful in the treatment of anxiety, sadness, depression, or other emotional imbalances in the heart. Related to the Chinese Herbal Category 'calms spirit.'

SEE ALL 'CALMS-HEART' FOODS / HERBS

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Antioxidant

ANTIOXIDANT

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals that lead to a chain reaction causing damage or death to cells. Antioxidants terminate these oxidation reactions.

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,
Hemostatic

HEMOSTATIC

An herb that stops bleeding.

SEE ALL 'HEMOSTATIC' FOODS / HERBS

,
Styptic

STYPTIC

A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions.

SEE ALL 'STYPTIC' FOODS / HERBS

Muscle Relaxant

MUSCLE-RELAXANT

Herbs that relax muscles. Helpful for chronic pain or tension as well as healing from physical trauma.

SEE ALL 'MUSCLE-RELAXANT' FOODS / HERBS

,
Relieves Tension

RELIEVES-TENSION

An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle.

SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-TENSION' FOODS / HERBS

,
Antispasmodic

ANTISPASMODIC

Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, menstruation, hear palpitations, migraine, or IBS.

SEE ALL 'ANTISPASMODIC' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:
Calcium

CALCIUM

Calcium nourishes bones and muscles. A muscle cell is activated when calcium enters the cell. It relaxes when the calcium is secreted.

SEE ALL 'CALCIUM' FOODS / HERBS

, Fats, Insoluble Fiber, Zinc

Foods with a Similar Nature to Poppy Seed

Pumpkin

Pumpkin has these Actions in Common

Makes-you-tired, Relaxes-eyes, Sedative, Muscle-relaxant, Relieves-burning, Appetite-suppressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension

LEARN MORE

Hemp Seed

Hemp Seed has these Actions in Common

Analgesic, Makes-you-tired, Relaxes-eyes, Anxiolytic, Muscle-relaxant, Sedative, Builds-stamina, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

LEARN MORE

Nutmeg

Nutmeg has these Actions in Common

Analgesic, Constipative, Styptic, Antispasmodic, Makes-you-tired, Anxiolytic, Sedative

LEARN MORE

Hibiscus

Hibiscus has these Actions in Common

Antioxidant, Hemostatic, Styptic, Appetite-suppressant, Relaxes-eyes, Constipative, Relieves-burning

LEARN MORE

Lavender

Lavender has these Actions in Common

Analgesic, Makes-you-tired, Antispasmodic, Muscle-relaxant, Anxiolytic, Sedative

LEARN MORE

Oats / Oatmeal

Oats / Oatmeal has these Actions in Common

Appetite-suppressant, Relieves-burning, Builds-stamina, Sedative, Anxiolytic, Makes-you-tired

LEARN MORE

Amaranth

Amaranth has these Actions in Common

Hemostatic, Relaxes-eyes, Muscle-relaxant, Relieves-tension, Appetite-suppressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

LEARN MORE

Popped Amaranth

Popped Amaranth has these Actions in Common

Muscle-relaxant, Relieves-tension, Appetite-suppressant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Hemostatic, Relaxes-eyes

LEARN MORE

Chamomile

Chamomile has these Actions in Common

Analgesic, Makes-you-tired, Antispasmodic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Anxiolytic, Sedative

LEARN MORE

Sorghum Flour

Sorghum Flour has these Actions in Common

Constipative, Sedative, Antitussive, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Anxiolytic, Relaxes-eyes

LEARN MORE

Herb Supplements with a Similar Nature to Poppy Seed

California Poppy

California Poppy has these Actions in Common

Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Sedative, Antioxidant, Styptic, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Calms-heart, Muscle-relaxant

LEARN MORE

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

Anxiolytic, Builds-stamina, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Sedative, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic

LEARN MORE

Kava Kava

Kava Kava has these Actions in Common

Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Makes-you-tired, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Sedative, Analgesic

LEARN MORE

Gokshura

Gokshura has these Actions in Common

Relieves-tension, Sedative, Analgesic, Antipruritic, Antispasmodic, Antitussive, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

LEARN MORE

Motherwort

Motherwort has these Actions in Common

Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Calms-heart, Hemostatic, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

LEARN MORE

Self Massage

Self Massage has these Actions in Common

Relaxes-eyes, Relieves-tension, Sedative, Anxiolytic, Calms-heart, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

LEARN MORE

Passionflower

Passionflower has these Actions in Common

Analgesic, Anxiolytic, Calms-heart, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Sedative

LEARN MORE

Skullcap

Skullcap has these Actions in Common

Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative, Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Calms-heart

LEARN MORE

Oats, Fresh Milky Seed

Oats, Fresh Milky Seed has these Actions in Common

Relieves-tension, Sedative, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-burning

LEARN MORE

Black Cohosh

Black Cohosh has these Actions in Common

Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Sedative, Analgesic, Antipruritic, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Muscle-relaxant

LEARN MORE

Eleuthero Ginseng

Eleuthero Ginseng has these Actions in Common

Muscle-relaxant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Relieves-tension, Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Anxiolytic, Builds-stamina

LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR THESE SYMPTOMS

Poppy Seed may be beneficial for these symptoms. The suitability of any food for a condition is highly dependent on the individual. Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.

HOW DOES EATING AYURVEDICALLY MAKE YOU FEEL?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. Food digests with ease when right for your body type (dosha). Healthy digestion is seen as the cornerstone of well-being in Ayurveda. Healthy digestion generally prevents illness. If you do get sick, a strong digestive fire reduces the severity of illness and increases your resilience. It also improves your mood. Once you begin eating Ayurvedically, you will feel refreshed, vital and strong.

Clinical Tools & Resources

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About John Joseph Immel

About the Author

John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda biocharacteristics. His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda, offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.

John's interest in Ayurveda and specialization in digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, as well as public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.

John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well. Outside of work, John enjoys spending time with his wife and 7 kids, and pursuing his love of theology, philosophy, and language.

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Comments & Impressions of 'Poppy Seed'

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