Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Heterocyclic Compounds > Alkaloids > Opium Terms and Definitions

Opium

Medical Definition:	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.
Guide Notes:	a narcotic analgesic from the poppy, Papaver; opium addiction: coord IM with OPIOID-RELATED DISORDERS (IM)
Also Called:	Omnopon,Pantopon,Papaveretum
CAS Type 1 Name:	CAS Number:	8008-60-4

Opium Categories.

	Morphinans
	Noscapine - A naturally occurring opium alkaloid that is a centrally acting antitussive agent.
	Papaverine - An alkaloid found in opium but not closely related to the other opium alkaloids in its structure or pharmacological actions. It is a direct-acting smooth muscle relaxant used in the treatment of impotence and as a vasodilator, especially for cerebral vasodilation. The mechanism of its pharmacological actions is not clear, but it apparently can inhibit phosphodiesterases and it may have direct actions on calcium channels.

Opium Medical Definitions and Terms

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