California Poppy Plant

California poppy, also known as California Sunlight and Golden Poppy, is the state flower of its namesake and celebrated with an official state holiday each year on the 6th of April.

As the name implies, the California poppy is native to California, although it is also found in Washington, Oregon, and New Mexico and is now naturalized in Australia, Argentina, and South Africa. Unlike some other members of the poppy family, the California poppy herb does not contain narcotic alkaloids. Various Native American people used the blossoms and pollen collected from the flowers to make skin and hair preparations. The seeds are still popular in cooking today and the leaf can be made into a tea blend, though some prefer the benefits through a California poppy tincture because of the grassy taste. 

The dried aerial parts of the organic California poppy plant are used in tea blends and to make tinctures, often in combination with valerian and passionflower.

Safety: NOT for use during pregnancy due to the risk of uterine contractions.