Contrary to general belief, there is no federal law against growing P.
somniferum.--Martha Stewart Living
Regarded as 'God's own medicine, ' preparations of opium were as common
in the Victorian medicine cabinet as aspirin is in ours. As late as
1915, pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were still
mentioning opium poppies as a good cash crop for northern farmers. Well
into this century, Russian, Greek, and Arab immigrants in America have
used poppy-head tea as a mild sedative and a remedy for headaches,
muscle pain, cough, and diarrhea. During the Civil War, gardeners in the
South were encouraged to plant opium for the war effort, in order to
ensure a supply of painkillers for the Confederate Army. What Hogshire
has done is to excavate this vernacular knowledge and then publish it to
the world--in how-to form, with recipes.-- Michael Pollan
First published fifteen years ago, Opium for the Masses instantly
became a national phenomenon. Michael Pollan wrote a lengthy feature
(Opium, made easy) about Jim Hogshire in Harper's Magazine, amazed
that the common plant, P. somniferum, or opium poppies, which grows wild
in many states and is available at crafts and hobby stores and
nurseries, could also be made into a drinkable tea that acts in a way
similar to codeine or Vicodin.
With Opium for the Masses as their guide, Americans can learn how to
supplement their own medicine chest with natural and legal pain
medicine, without costly and difficult trips to the doctor and pharmacy.
