Opiates, opioid peptides and their possible relevance to schizophrenia

Abstract

The poppy plant Papaver somniferum has been known to man for many thousands of years. Cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets excavated from the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh describe how the womenfolk tended the poppy fields of ancient Mesopotamia, and earlier Sumerian writings are referred to, which describe the medicinal use of opium some 4000 years ago. It was not until 1805, however, that the active ingredient of opium was isolated by the German pharmacist Serturner (1783–1841). He named it ‘morpheum’ after the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus, and its structure is shown in Figure 1.