opium
n. the dried resin of the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. Opium contains more than 20 alkaloids (opium alkaloids), the principal one being morphine, which accounts for most of its pharmacological (including addictive) properties; other opium alkaloids include codeine, thebaine, and papaverine. Natural and synthetic derivatives of opium (see opiate; opioid) are eaten, smoked, injected, sniffed, and drunk. Their action, due mainly to their morphine content, is to induce analgesia and euphoria and to produce a deep, dreamless sleep from which the user can be easily aroused.