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Definition: opium from Philip's Encyclopedia

Drug derived from the unripe seed-pods of the opium poppy. Its components and derivatives have been used as narcotics and analgesics for many centuries. It produces drowsiness and euphoria and reduces pain. Morphine and codeine are opium derivatives.

opium

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
substance derived by collecting and drying the milky juice in the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy , Papaver somniferum. Opium varies in color from yellow to dark brown and has a characteristic odor and a bitter taste. Its chief active principle is the alkaloid morphine , a narcotic . Other constituents are the alkaloids codeine , papaverine , and noscapine (narcotine); heroin is synthesized from morphine. Morphine, heroin, and codeine are addicting drugs; papaverine and noscapine are not. A tincture of opium is called laudanum ; paregoric is a mixture of opium, alcohol, and camphor. Opium and its various constituents exert effects upon the body ranging from analgesia, or insensitivity to pain, to narcosis, or depressed physiological activity leading to stupor. Opium users describe experiencing a feeling of calm and well-being. Opium addicts in otherwise good physical and mental health whose drug needs are met are thought to experience no debilitating physiological effects from…
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Full text Article opium

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
substance derived by collecting and drying the milky juice in the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy , Papaver somniferum. Opium varies in color from yellow to dark brown and has a characteristic odor and a bitter taste. Its chief active principle is the alkaloid morphine , a narcotic . Other…
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Full text Article Opium

From Encyclopedia of World Trade: From Ancient Times to the Present Full text Article A-Z Entries
Opium smokers indulge at a den in China in the...
The addictive narcotic made from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) that has been traded since ancient times. Poppy-shaped ceramic pots, over four and a half inches long and containing traces of opium, have been found in tombs and settlements throughout the Middle East, dating as far back as 1400…
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Full text Article Opium

From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Thomas de Quincey (1785–1859), author of The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). A catchphrase applied to religion. It comes from the Introduction to Karl Marx's Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right (1843–4): Religion is the sigh of the hard-pressed creature, the…
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Full text Article Opium

From Black's Veterinary Dictionary
Opium is the dried milky juice of the unripe seed-capsules of the white Indian poppy, Papaver somniferum. Good opium should contain about 10 per cent of morphine, the chief alkaloid and active principle. It also contains other alkaloids, the most important of which are codeine, narcotine, thebaine, …
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Full text Article OPIUM

From Gaither's Dictionary of Scientific Quotations
English essayist Oh! just, subtle, and mighty opium! that to the hearts of poor and rich alike, for the wounds that will never heal, and for “the pangs that tempt the spirit to rebel,” bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opium! The Collected Writings of Thomas de Quincey (Volume 3 ) Confessions of…
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Full text Article Opium

From Black's Medical Dictionary, 43rd Edition
The dried juice of the unripe seed-capsules of the white Indian poppy, Papaver somniferum . The action of opium depends upon the 20–25 ALKALOIDS it contains. Of these, the chief is MORPHINE , the amount of which varies from around 9–17 per cent. Other alkaloids include codeine, narcotine, thebaine, …
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Full text Article Opium Trade

From Encyclopedia of Chinese-American Relations
The roots of the opium trade between the United States and Manchu China began in the late 1700s, when both nations shared a desired policy of isolation. The Manchu limited eager European traders to hongs (warehouses), supervised by the Co-hong, a merchant monopoly. They demonstrated their penchant…
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1839–1860 The Anglo-Chinese Opium Wars were two conflicts in which the British and French (in the second war) fought against the Chinese in support of the sale of opium in China. The first of the wars, between Britain and China alone, lasted from 1839 to 1842, and the second from 1856 to 1860, also…
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Full text Article Opium Wars

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1839–42 and 1856–60, two wars between China and Western countries. The first was between Great Britain and China. Early in the 19th cent., British merchants began smuggling opium into China in order to balance their purchases of tea for export to Britain. In 1839, China enforced its prohibitions on…
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Full text Article Opium Wars

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Two wars, the First Opium War (1839–42) and the Second Opium War (1856–60), waged by Britain against China to enforce the opening of Chinese ports to trade in opium . Opium from British India paid for Britain's imports from China, such as porcelain, silk, and, above all, tea. The First Opium War…
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