Chemicals and Drugs

Opium

The air-dried exudate from the unripe seed capsule of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, or its variant, P. album. It contains a number of alkaloids, but only a few - MORPHINE; CODEINE; and PAPAVERINE - have clinical significance. Opium has been used as an analgesic, antitussive, antidiarrheal, and antispasmodic.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

The air-dried exudate from the unripe seed capsule of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, or its variant, P. album. It contains a number of alkaloids, but only a few - MORPHINE; CODEINE; and PAPAVERINE - have clinical significance. Opium has been used as an analgesic, antitussive, antidiarrheal, and antispasmodic.

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Related Concepts

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Drug Class

Pharmacological Action

MeSH Record

See Also

MeSH Record

Synonyms

3 entry terms
  • Omnopon
  • Pantopon
  • Papaveretum

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

25 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings administration & dosage, adverse effects, agonists, analogs & derivatives, analysis, antagonists & inhibitors, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemical synthesis, chemistry, classification, economics, history, immunology, isolation & purification, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, poisoning, radiation effects, standards, supply & distribution, therapeutic use, toxicity, urine.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

OPIUM DEPENDENCE is also available

MeSH Record

History Note

PANTOPON was see under OPIUM 1963-79

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Number

  1. D20.215.784.500.534w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Opium. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D009892. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D009892
  2. Opium. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium
  3. Opium. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46452