How to produce opium from the poppy plants?

[omases]

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask if someone can explain the process of gathering in the field and production of opium. In particular, after the poppies are engraved and the resin is collected, what must be done then to have the black opium to be smoke? Have you also some advices for cultivation? Thanks for the answers

 

[YenaneY]

You have to add a solvent (I'd recommend ethanol because it will already evaporate at room temprature) to the latex and then leave it form some time so the alkaloid get dissolved. Then you have to filter it and after you've now got the filtered fluid, you need to let the solvent evaporate and let the alkaloids crystallize. Now you can either do additional steps to increase purity or already use them, they should be powder/crystals on this point.

 

[pugzarmyl]

Can this be done with seeds?

 

[YenaneY]

I don't think so, the seeds don't contain alkaloids themself, only the latex does.

 

[pugzarmyl]

People make tea with the seeds so I thought might work.

 

[YenaneY]

Like there is a very small amount but it's mostly not enough to efficiently extract and it might also be harder to dissolve them out of it, so the yield would be relatively low.