Sariyar, G.Toplan, G.G.2024-05-192024-05-19202397810009289459780367705671https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003146971-16https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12713/4551Turkey is the richest region of the Mediterranean area for the number of Papaver species. Among these, the most important one is Papaver somniferum, which has been cultivated for almost 4000 years mainly for its medicinally important alkaloids, morphine, and codeine. Including this species Flora of Turkey (Cullen 1965) reported the existence of 35 species belonging to seven sections, whereas Med-checklist (Kadereit 1997) recognized 23 species and 19 subspecies under eight sections. One hundred alkaloids belonging to 16 different types (simple isoquinoline and benzyisoquinoline, isopavine, proaporphine, aporphine, phenanthrene, cularine, morphinanedienone, morphinane, protobeberine, secoberbine, protopine, narceine, phtalideisoquinoline, roeadine-papaverrubine, spirobenzylisoquinoline) were isolated from 26 species. Including the first dimeric morphinane dienone type salutadimerine, 24 novel alkaloids were also identified. Several annual Papaver species mainly P. rhoeas have been shown to be used as folk medicine. Antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicity of the extracts of some Papaver species and their alkaloids have also been reported. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Ufuk Koca-Caliskan; individual chapters, the contributors.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBook Chapter1731942-s2.0-8517751678110.1201/9781003146971-16N/A