How Can Poppy Seed Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

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. Browse Recipes

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.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

LEARN MORE

Is Poppy Seed Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Poppy Seed is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main states (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which states are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every state has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite state. Learn More	COLD ABOUT COLD GUNA Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD OILY ABOUT OILY GUNA Oily refers to anything fatty, or that increases fat. LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY
TASTES 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? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET ASTRINGENT ABOUT ASTRINGENT GUNA Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual 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. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT Ojas OJAS Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness. LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Tamasic TAMASIC Tamasic foods promote rest, sleepiness and stillness. Examples include wheat, mushrooms. LEARN MORE ABOUT TAMASIC , Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING TYPE Nuts Seeds, Spices ELEMENT Earth EARTH Resembles earth (prithvi) in quality - heavy, dense, solid, stable, hard. LEARN MORE ABOUT EARTH 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT BLAND , Crunchy CRUNCHY Makes an audible noise when you eat them. Can provide fun texture variation. LEARN MORE ABOUT CRUNCHY NUTRIENT Antioxidant, Calcium, Fats, Insoluble Fiber, Zinc COLOR Blue Purple NOURISHES Bone BONE Bone tissue (Asthi Dhatu) includes the bones, hair, and nails. LEARN MORE ABOUT BONE , Reproductive REPRODUCTIVE Reproductive tissue (Shukra/Artava Dhatu) includes male and female reproductive organs. LEARN MORE ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE MOVES ENERGY Downward DOWNWARD Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles. LEARN MORE ABOUT DOWNWARD , Inward INWARD Inward moving substances promote introspection, self reflection, stillness, or slow the system down. LEARN MORE ABOUT INWARD

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Digestion	Appetite suppressant APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT Suppresses hunger without causing weight gain LEARN MORE ABOUT APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT , Antispasmodic ANTISPASMODIC Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, colic or IBS. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTISPASMODIC
Energy Vitality Strength	Builds stamina BUILDS-STAMINA Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUILDS-STAMINA
Heart & Circulation	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.' LEARN MORE ABOUT CALMS-HEART , Styptic STYPTIC A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used to stop bleeding. LEARN MORE ABOUT STYPTIC
Immune System	Analgesic ANALGESIC Relieves or reduces feelings of pain without eliminating sensation. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANALGESIC
Lung and Sinus	Antitussive ANTITUSSIVE Cough suppressant, particularly for dry coughs or a tickle in your throat. LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTITUSSIVE
Mind, Stress & Sleep	Grounding 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT GROUNDING , Makes you tired MAKES-YOU-TIRED Induces drowsiness and promotes sound sleep. LEARN MORE ABOUT MAKES-YOU-TIRED , Relaxes eyes RELAXES-EYES Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELAXES-EYES , Relaxes mind RELAXES-MIND Reduces mental agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELAXES-MIND , Relieves tension RELIEVES-TENSION An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIEVES-TENSION , Stimulates base of skull STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL Creates a feeling of awareness or tension in the area at the base of the skull. LEARN MORE ABOUT STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL , 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT SEDATIVE
Skin Care & Beauty	Antipruritic ANTIPRURITIC Antipruritics are herbs that inhibit itching that is often associated with itching skin conditions such as sunburns, allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis, chickenpox, fungal infections, insect bites, or contact dermatitis (as in poison ivy exposure.) LEARN MORE ABOUT ANTIPRURITIC
Muscle-Health	Muscle relaxant MUSCLE-RELAXANT Herbs that relax muscles. Helpful for chronic pain or tension as well as healing from physical trauma. LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSCLE-RELAXANT
Bowel-Poop-Elimination	Relieves burning RELIEVES-BURNING Herbs that soothe a burn or reduce an internal burning sensation, such as aloe vera. LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIEVES-BURNING , Constipative CONSTIPATIVE An herb that binds stools / stops diarrhea. When used in excess, these herbs and foods can cause constipation. LEARN MORE ABOUT CONSTIPATIVE