What Happens If We Eat More Poppy Seeds? Risks and Safety Guide

December 1, 2025 •

3 min read

According to a 2022 report, poisonous poppy seeds sent dozens of people to the hospital in Australia, highlighting the extreme dangers of contaminated batches and consuming large quantities, especially as 'tea'. While small amounts of commercially processed seeds are safe, eating more poppy seeds can lead to serious health complications.

Quick Summary

Consuming large quantities of unwashed poppy seeds, especially when brewed as a tea, risks fatal opiate overdose due to alkaloid contamination. It can also cause bowel obstruction and false-positive drug tests.

Key Points

Opioid Toxicity: Large amounts of unwashed poppy seeds, especially in tea, can cause opiate overdose due to alkaloid contamination, leading to seizures and respiratory failure.
Bowel Obstruction Risk: Eating excessive raw poppy seeds can form a mass in the digestive tract, leading to a fatal bowel obstruction.
Positive Drug Test: Even normal culinary amounts can cause a false-positive result on an opiate drug test for up to 48 hours.
Poppy Seed Tea Dangers: Home-brewed tea from unwashed seeds is highly toxic, with unpredictable alkaloid concentrations that have caused deaths.
Processed Seeds are Safer: Commercial, food-grade poppy seeds are washed and treated to significantly reduce opiate residue, making them safe for moderate consumption.
Addiction Potential: Regular use of poppy seed tea can lead to an opioid use disorder, requiring professional medical intervention.
Thebaine Toxicity: The alkaloid thebaine, present in some contaminated seeds, can cause severe neuromuscular symptoms and cardiac arrest.

The Dangers of Contaminated Poppy Seeds

While poppy seeds from the Papaver somniferum plant are typically safe in small culinary amounts, they can become contaminated with opiate alkaloids like morphine, codeine, and thebaine during harvesting. These residues remain on unwashed seeds, and the level of contamination is highly variable and unpredictable. Large quantities of unwashed seeds, especially as "poppy seed tea," carry the most severe risks.

The Lethal Risk of Poppy Seed Tea

Brewing tea from large quantities of unwashed poppy seeds concentrates these opiate alkaloids, creating a dangerous and potentially lethal mixture. This has resulted in numerous cases of severe toxicity, overdose, and death globally.

Symptoms of poppy seed tea overdose include respiratory depression, slow heartbeat, cyanosis, small pupils, confusion, muscle spasms, seizures, and potentially cardiac arrest. The alkaloid thebaine can cause severe neuromuscular effects like muscle rigidity and seizures. The unpredictable nature of alkaloid concentration makes homemade poppy seed tea extremely risky.

Serious Health Risks Beyond Opiate Toxicity

Excessive poppy seed consumption can pose other health risks besides alkaloid poisoning.

Bowel Obstruction

Ingesting large quantities of raw seeds can lead to a dangerous and potentially fatal bowel obstruction. The seeds can form a mass in the digestive tract, causing severe symptoms like pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Allergic Reactions

For some individuals, eating too many poppy seeds can cause allergic reactions, ranging from mild itching to severe, life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Addiction and Dependence

Regular, high-dose consumption of unwashed poppy seed tea can lead to opioid dependence and addiction, requiring medical treatment. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe.

The Problem of False-Positive Drug Tests

A known side effect of eating poppy seeds is the possibility of a false-positive opiate drug test. Morphine and codeine traces can be detected in urine for up to 48 hours, which can be an issue for individuals undergoing drug testing. While test thresholds have increased, the risk remains, especially after consuming larger amounts.

Comparing Safe vs. Unsafe Poppy Seed Consumption


Feature	Safe (Food-Grade) Poppy Seeds	Unsafe (Unwashed/Contaminated) Poppy Seeds
Processing	Washed and heat-treated to remove opiate residues.	Unwashed; can retain high levels of opiate alkaloids from the plant.
Recommended Use	Culinary uses like baking, sprinkling on food, or in yogurt.	Associated with intentional misuse, such as brewing into a tea.
Opioid Content	Minimal, trace amounts that are not psychoactive.	High, variable, and potentially lethal concentrations.
Overdose Risk	Extremely low when consumed in typical food quantities.	Significant risk of severe intoxication, overdose, and death.
Health Consequences	Generally benign, aside from potential allergies or minor gastrointestinal issues if eaten in large, raw amounts.	Potential for seizures, cardiac arrest, respiratory depression, and addiction.
Drug Test	Can cause false-positives for up to 48 hours.	Increases the likelihood and magnitude of a positive drug test.

Safe Consumption Guidelines

To enjoy poppy seeds safely, choose food-grade, use moderately, consider washing or cooking, avoid poppy seed tea, and be mindful of drug tests.

Conclusion

While food-grade poppy seeds are safe in moderation, excessive consumption of unwashed or contaminated seeds carries severe risks, including potentially fatal opiate toxicity. Safe consumption practices are vital to avoid health issues and potential problems with drug testing. For more information, consult the FDA.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you cannot get high from eating commercially processed poppy seeds. They contain only trace amounts of opiate residues, and normal culinary consumption will not cause psychoactive effects.

While the opiate content in a single bagel is low, it can still trigger a false-positive result on a drug test, particularly if you consume multiple items or if the test is very sensitive.

Food-grade poppy seeds are commercially processed through washing and heat-treating to remove opiate alkaloid residues. Unwashed seeds are unprocessed and may contain high, unpredictable, and dangerous levels of these alkaloids.

If you are concerned about drug testing, the safest approach is to avoid consuming all poppy seed-containing products for at least 48 hours before the test. Some military organizations even issue specific warnings.

Symptoms can include respiratory depression (slowed breathing), small pupils, seizures, muscle cramps, confusion, and loss of consciousness. This is considered a medical emergency.

No, it is extremely dangerous. The alkaloid content of unwashed seeds is highly variable and unpredictable, making a lethal overdose a real possibility. This practice has been linked to numerous fatalities.

People with upcoming drug tests, individuals with a history of opioid dependence, those with specific allergies, and vulnerable populations like infants should be especially cautious. Infants have died from folk remedies involving poppy powder.