Title: Hul Gil. According to Wikipedia, the first known cultivation of opium poppies was in Mesopotamia, approximately 3400 BCE, by Sumerians, who called the plant hul gil, or the “joy plant.” Nowadays in Mesopotamia, where I took this picture, poppies are not popular or cultivated but they are widely seen around the fields during a short period in the mid-spring season. It is truly fascinating to see the transition of all those naked fields to a canvas covered with flowers of all kinds of colors as far as the eye can see. But, even in a garden where all the flowers are individually beautiful, some stand out and look “more beautiful.” That said, there seems to be a little confounder for the case of the poppy standing erect in the picture above (remember papaverine is also an opium alkaloid). More of the Dr. Adin's works can be seen on Instagram with the handle @unsuz.adam.
- © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology