Poppy tea is a brew made from the plant matter of the poppy plant, poppy pods and poppy seeds. Poppy Tea is widely mistaken for poppy tinctures available over the counter at health food stores. These tinctures do not contain any active ingredients and are not to be mistaken with a brew that can be made with the crude plant material of the poppy plant that contains morphine.

For centuries poppy tea and the alkaloids contained in the poppy plant have been documented as being used as an effective pain killer, anti diarrheal, cough suppressant and mood relaxer. Papaver Sominferum is the main genus of poppy responsible for the psychoactive effects causes by poppy tea. Dried poppy pods are used to make a tea that many describe as similar to or the same as many narcotic analgesic drugs available in modern medicine. This is in part due to the fact that many of the same alkaloids found in modern opiates and opiate derivatives can be found in the Papaver Somniferum plant. These modern medicines are under strict control in most countries and are not available over the counter. Poppy pods are grown in mass fields in Turkey, India and Afghanistan to be used in medicines in the western world. Although considered illegal, according to the US government, "It is not difficult to manufacture opium tea with a high morphine content from opium flowers readily available at flower shops."

Dried poppy pods and poppy seeds are widely available for decoration as well in culinary arts, but they are also used by individuals brewing poppy tea for personal use. It is worth noting that while that poppy pods, poppy seeds and the poppy plant in its ornamental form is not illegal, it is illegal in most countries to use the material of the plant to produce a tea, but it is not heavily regulated and is considered widely available. For this reason, many find poppy tea to be an easy effective alternative to prescription medicines not available over the counter.

Effects of the tea are described as extremely mellowing and narcotic. When drunk, the effects come on within a period of about 25 minutes and last 6-10 hours. Some users find the effects too intense, for this reason it is wise for the individual to start with the lowest dosage possible before ramping up dosage. Even with this method it is not entirely safe and it is considered impossible to measure the exact amounts of morphine and codeine in a given poppy plant.