Rumors: Some hot pot restaurants add poppy husks to the soup, making them taste better. People eat more and want to eat, and eventually become addicted.
Truth: When we talk about poppies, people will think of the opium that opened up the Chinese nation for centuries. The poppy shell is the part of the mature poppy fruit after it has been removed. Put it in the soup, it will cook out the opium ingredients so addictive? We talked about the harvest of opium.
The modern production process of opium
Many people have seen the process of making opium from film and television: When the fruit of the poppy is still immature, a wound is made on the shell, and the juice in it will flow out. When the sap is dried, the unrefined opium is collected.
This is actually a very traditional process. Its drawbacks are obvious. First, we need to scratch the fruit one by one and collect it a bit like a honeybee collecting nectar. Both steps require high-intensity manual labor, and production efficiency can be imagined.
After the 1940s, efficient and modern technology was gradually applied. Because the active ingredient of opiates is morphine and other substances, and these substances do not disappear with the maturity of the poppy fruit. Therefore, when the poppy is fully matured, all the fruits, stems, and leaves are harvested, and then the poppy seeds are removed, and the soluble components thereof are leached with water or other solvent and dried to obtain a powder. The opium component of these powders has been improved by several tens of times. Although it is no longer the traditional “smoke†appearance, the active ingredients are basically the same.
Poppy husk is a part of the extraction raw materials, which naturally contain opiates such as morphine. The relationship between poppy husks and opiates is like the relationship between oranges and vitamin C. The former is the raw material containing the latter.
Poppy husk: It is illegal to make spices
Placing the poppy shells in the soup of the hot pot is the same principle as leaching the opium with water. In fact, in many places, the practice of using poppies to soak in water is called "poppy shell tea." Its effective composition is essentially indistinguishable from opium, but it is just a matter of quantity. Of course, whether the opium components of these poppies in the hot pot are enough to make people addicted are determined by the amount of food and personal constitution.
However, adding poppy hulls to hot pots is potentially addictive and potentially harmful to health, and the benefits of joining them are not necessary, so bans on their use are justified. In most countries and regions of the world, poppies are controlled objects and are not allowed to be added to food as a seasoning.
Poppy seed: good food ingredients
Interestingly, although opiates, such as morphine, are abundant in poppy hulls and poppy stalks, their content in poppy seeds is negligible. This allows poppy seeds to be used as food ingredients.
Poppy seed is a very good oil crop, its oil content can reach more than 40%, much higher than 20% of soybean. In addition, poppy seed oil is mainly composed of unsaturated fats and is considered to be a fairly good edible oil. This type of oil is often referred to as "royal rice oil" in China, and it has even been speculated to be a high-priced health supplement.
In addition to oil, poppy seeds also contain nearly 20% protein and more than 20% dietary fiber. In some areas where opium is cultivated, the residues of these poppy seeds after oil extraction can be used as food for the poor.
In the United States, poppyseeds or its residues are usually used as a flavoring, similar to sesame seeds, and can be freely traded.
Conclusion: Rumors are basically confirmed. The poppy shell contains active ingredients such as morphine, which are leached into the soup. As for whether the quantity added to the hot pot reaches an addictive or health hazard, it is related to the amount of food consumed and the physical condition of the individual. The "reasonable benefits" (ie, increased flavors) brought about by the addition of poppy husks to foods are not sufficient to offset the risks it poses, so banning is a reasonable decision.
Puyang Linshi Medical Supplies Co., Ltd. , https://www.linshimedicals.com