title: Poppy seeds: implications of consumption.
abstract: Three white poppy seed samples of Papaver somniferum L were found to contain total morphine (free and bound) in the range 58.4 to 62.2 micrograms/g seeds and total codeine (free and bound) in the range 28.4 to 54.1 micrograms/g seeds. Soaking seeds in water was found to remove 45.6 per cent of the free morphine and 48.4 per cent of the free codeine. In ingesting a curry meal or two containing various amounts of washed seeds (morphine intake: 200.4 to 1002 micrograms; codeine intake: 95.9 to 479.5 micrograms), the urinary morphine levels were found to be in the range 0.12 to 1.27 micrograms/ml urine and urinary codeine levels in the range 0.04 to 0.73 micrograms/ml urine. In any large scale screening for abuse of opiate drugs, the possibility of urinary alkaloids arising from consuming food containing poppy seeds must be considered and, if possible, eliminated.
authors.affiliation: Toxicology Laboratory, Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine, Singapore.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D003061:Codeine / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine*; D004435:Eating; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine*; D010207:Papaver; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009020:Morphine; D003061:Codeine