There are many people who have never heard about poppy seeds before but they can offer you many health benefits. Poppy seeds are also known as “khush khush” in Punjabi, “posto” in Bengali, “gasegase” in Kannada, “kas kas” in Malayalam, “kasa kasa” in Tamil, “gasagasalu” in Telugu and “khus khus” in Hindi. These seeds are seeds which are obtained from poppy. Poppy is a flowering plant. The scientific name of poppy seeds is Papaver somniferum. They are widely used in many different countries, especially in Central Europe where they are grown and sold in shops. Poppy seeds are used as ingredient in several dishes. It can be used in whole and ground forms. Poppy seeds are also pressed to obtain the poppy seed oil. There are different varieties of poppy seeds and the most popular are Oriental poppy seeds, White poppy seeds and Blue poppy seeds. There are some cases when poppy seeds can cause allergies. Some of these allergies include difficulty in breathing, skin redness, eye swelling, hives and vomiting. If you consume poppy seeds in excess amounts during the breastfeeding or pregnancy, then they can cause issues so you need to avoid them during this period.
Poppy seeds health benefits
Stimulate hair growth: There should be done a lot more studies in the future to approve this benefit of poppy seeds but you can prepare a hair pack by blending soaked poppy seeds with freshly extracted coconut milk and pulped onion. You should apply this home remedy on your scalp and let it stay there for about an hour. You should rinse it using mild shampoo. The regular usage of this home remedy can stimulate the hair growth.
Aid in diabetes treatment: Poppy seeds are rich in fiber. They can be a preferred addition to a diabetic diet. Poppy seeds also have manganese which can aid in the diabetes treatment. But lot more studies need to be done and this is a reason why you should talk with your doctor before you add poppy seeds in your diet.
Boost the immune system: Poppy seeds are rich in zinc which can strengthen your immune system. Also they can enhance the production of immune cells in the body. Poppy seeds have iron which can also help in this aspect.
Poppy seeds uses
Help treat dandruff: This is a very common problem and if you leave it untreated, then it can lead to hair loss. You can make a home remedy for treating dandruff by mixing a teaspoon of white pepper on the scalp, hung curd and soaked poppy seeds. You should let this mixture to stay on your scalp for half an hour and then you should rinse it off. When you use it on a regular basis, then it can help to reduce the recurrence of dandruff.
Help achieve clear skin: The poppy seed scrub can help to cleanse your skin and it will make you to look clear and blemish – free. You can make a home remedy by mixing two teaspoons of poppy seeds with curd. You should rub this paste gently on clean face and neck in circular motions and massage it for ten minutes. You should wipe your face with a cotton ball and then wash it as usual. It will give you clear skin a glowing complexion.
Enhance thyroid function: We know that our thyroid gland needs zinc for optimal functioning. Poppy seeds can help you in this because they are rich in zinc. Also the iodinated poppy seeds have been used in many parts of the world to treat the iodine deficiency which is the cause of thyroid dysfunction.
Help treat kidney stones: These seeds have potassium which is mineral that can offer protection against and even treat kidney stones. But there are some studies in which are said that people who suffer from hyperoxaluria (which is an excessive urinary excretion of oxalate that is increasing the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones) need to limit their intake amount of poppy seeds because these seeds are high in oxalic acid.
Promote vision health: These seeds are rich in zinc and there are some studies in which are said that this mineral can aid in the vision health and it can prevent serious eye diseases like macular degeneration. Poppy seeds have antioxidants which can benefit the eyes.