Opium poppy is known to have existed at least 75 million years ago and has been used by humans since prehistorical times. Handbook of Opium traces the history of poppy from prehistory, its use in Greek and Egyptian medicine through European Renaissance and opioid epidemic of the present day. It explores discovery of morphine and its alkaloids, reviews its biosynthetic process and evolution of synthetic opioids. Further it reviews biological effects of opium and molecular basis of its actions, including future perspectives in clinical applications with therapeutic targets. The book is interspersed with numerous notes on the events and great minds in history and medicine who advocated, analyzed and advanced the use of opium through history. The book is a comprehensive review on opium, covering a breath of topics including the synthesis history, botany, chemistry, trade, physiology, clinical use, and molecular biology on opium, with numerous references, tables and vignettes and illustrations all compiled in a single book.

Book Information
ISBN 9780323909037
Author Vasanth Kumar
Format Paperback
Page Count 210
Imprint Academic Press Inc
Publisher Elsevier Science & Technology
Weight(grams) 191g