California Poppy

Active alkaloids (protopine, allocryptopine, etc.) — California poppy contains several benzylisoquinoline-type alkaloids. Laboratory and pharmacology work shows some of these compounds can modulate GABAergic activity (they increase GABA-agonist binding in brain tissue in vitro/animal work) and may act on other CNS receptors (serotonin 5-HT, etc.). That GABA—or GABA-like—activity is a plausible mechanism for sedative / anxiolytic effects that can help sleep onset and maintenance. Europe PMC

Clinical-pharmacology note — the plant’s overall effect is mild-to-moderate and appears to be primarily sedative/anxiolytic rather than an opioid-type action. Some alkaloids also affect drug-metabolism proteins (CYPs, P-gp, PXR), so they can change how other drugs are processed. ARS

Forms commonly used:

• Standardized oral extract / dried-herb capsules — the form used in most clinical studies and commercial sleep products.
• Tea (infusion) — traditional use, milder effect.
• Tincture / mother tincture — used in some complementary medicine traditions.
• Fixed combination products — often combined with valerian ( Valeriana officinalis ) or other mild sedatives in marketed sleep preparations.

Typical doses & regimens (what the literature reports):

• Clinical trial dose (placebo-controlled RCT entry): one double-blind study protocol listed a dose of 1000 mg/day of Eschscholtzia extract for 28 days to treat primary insomnia. (This is the trial registration / protocol figure frequently cited.) ICHGCP
• Observed/real-world products & studies: combination products (Eschscholtzia + valerian) used one to four tablets nightly for up to 4 weeks in prospective studies of adjustment insomnia; formulations and exact alkaloid content vary by product. ScienceDirect
• Herbal monograph / commonly referenced doses: traditional powdered aerial parts around ~320–960 mg/day are commonly referenced in herbal monographs (different authorities give slightly different figures depending on extract strength). The EMA assessment and various herbal formularies list similar ranges for dried-herb/extract preparations. European Medicines Agency (EMA)

Practical instructions (safe/typical approach people use today):

• Start low, take at bedtime: begin with the lower end of product guidance (for extracts/capsules) and take 30–60 minutes before bedtime.
• Duration: most studies and product directions use short courses (2–4 weeks) to assess benefit. Long-term safety data are limited. ScienceDirect

NOTE: product potency varies a lot (differing extract standards, whole-herb powders, or tinctures). Always follow the manufacturer’s dosing on the product label or the dosing used in the clinical product (if available).

• Trial registration / RCT (28-day, 1000 mg/day) — trial NCT02183233 (double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 28 days, ~49 participants) assessing Eschscholtzia 1000 mg/day for psycho-physiologic insomnia (trial details/registry entry). This trial is frequently cited in summaries; trial registry gives the protocol/primary endpoints. CDEK
• Observational / prospective study (Eschscholtzia + Valerian) — a prospective observational study of a fixed combination of Eschscholtzia californica and Valeriana officinalis for adjustment insomnia reported improvements in insomnia scores over the treatment period (Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine; 2019). This supports real-world use, though it is not a placebo-controlled RCT. ResearchGate
• Anxiety RCTs & older behavior studies — the European Medicines Agency monograph and other reviews summarize older randomized trials and placebo-controlled studies showing anxiolytic and sedative effects in mild-to-moderate anxiety and related sleep complaints (example: Curr Med Res Opin 2004, and earlier Planta Med behavioral studies). These form the clinical base summarized by EMA. European Medicines Agency (EMA)
• Pharmacology & mechanistic lab studies — in vitro and animal studies that examine alkaloid action at GABA receptors and modulation of hepatic/drug-metabolizing enzymes (Planta Med, Europe PMC, etc.). These help explain the effects and potential interactions. Thieme

Summary on evidence strength: moderate but not definitive. There are controlled trials and observational studies showing benefit for anxiety-associated sleep problems and mild insomnia, but few very large, independently replicated RCTs specifically proving robust efficacy for all types of chronic insomnia.