Opioid Alkaloids in Fire Poppies, Papaver Californicum

P. Californicum (Papaveraceae), fire poppy, is traditionally used against pain. The seed pods were found to contain glycosides of 14-methylnormorphine and papaverine. The major alkaloid, ignimorphinan C67H80O19N2, is a mixture of sterol glycoside dimers of 14-methylnormorphine and papaverine. The second most abundant alkaloid, ignipapaverine C44H55O10N, is a sterol glycoside of papaverine. A possible glycoside of 2-methoxy-7-hydroxy-6-Omethyl- 7,8-dihydronormorphine-14-carbinol was found. Other compounds found were myricetin, malvidin-3-Oglucuronide and kaempferol acetate.