At Rue and Rose Botanicals, you know that we just love our herbal ingredients! We pride ourselves on creating 100% natural products from all of the goodness we find growing in our garden. We thought it would be interesting to have a monthly spotlight on one of our favorite herbs, giving you some background about its properties and benefits.

Of course being based in sunny California, it makes sense that our first herb of the month would be the California Poppy.

Botanically known as Escsholzia Californica it’s a distant relative of the popular Red Poppy family, Papaver Somniferum. It is the state flower of California and is also known as the Golden Poppy or the cup of gold. In spite of its connections with the Poppy family, it doesn’t contain the same opiate qualities, so rest assured it is suitable for products that may be used by children. One lovely feature is that as night falls, the flower closes its four petals and opens them again as the dawn rises. 

As it is the state flower, the California Poppy is protected which means you can’t pick it in the wild, so however enticing you find those lovely fields of gold, don’t be tempted to pick a few as you will be fined! You can grow it in the garden and the good news is that it doesn’t need that much care, although it thrives best in warm and dry climates. Just scatter the seeds around and wait, it doesn’t even need planting, how simple is that? (Obviously make sure that any inclement weather has passed before doing this). Optimum planting times are early Spring or late Fall.  The main parts of the flower that you can use in any skin or beauty preparation are those found above ground, so the leaves, seeds and flowers, which once dried can be crushed. Alternatively, it is possible to create a tincture using alcohol and crushed petals and seeds.

Use of California Poppy has focused on three main areas which are anxiety and stress relief, sleep enhancement and as a preventative bed-wetting treatment.

However, in recent years the California Poppy has started to appear in a variety of skincare products, as the beauty industry is tapping into another one of its superpowers. The poppy has anti-microbial properties, making it ideal for skin ailments, cuts and rashes as it eases irritation and swelling. So this might be the perfect choice of ingredient for anyone who suffers from Eczema, hives or a heat induced rash. It would also be useful be an effective chemical-free treatment for small cuts.

So if you are intending to use the California Poppy in skincare and beauty treatments, your best bet would be as a key element in a face cream, body lotion or body oil. We can’t ignore the fact that the fragrance from the California Poppy is distinctive, evoking memories of warm summer evenings. With its sedative, calming properties it would be a fabulous addition to a massage oil inducing a good night’s sleep or a relief from stress. And don’t forget because of its anti-microbial properties California Poppy is the basis of a great salve for irritated or itchy skin.

If you have any questions about California Poppy, let us know, we’d love to chat!

About Rue and Rose Botanicals:

Rue and Rose Botanicals is a California based health and beauty company. Founded in 2015 as a modern-day herbal practice, our products are medicinally focused and remedy-based. Rue and Rose products are thoughtfully created and fueled by the healing power of flowers and herbs. At Rue and Rose Botanicals we seek balance between functionality and indulgence throughout our entire product line.

Tags: California Poppy, Poppy, herb, herb of the month, herbal, skincare, beauty, herbal ingredients, natural skincare, natural beauty, golden poppy

Images courtesy of Unsplash.