Science/Medicine : Morphine: Liver Byproduct?

California researchers have gathered further evidence that morphine is produced naturally in the body--in much the same way it is produced in the poppy plant.

Neurobiologists at Stanford have discovered that the liver is capable of carrying out a critical step in the production of the painkiller. However, researcher Charles Weitz pointed out that his studies suggest, but do not necessarily prove, that the body creates morphine. Earlier studies have shown that traces of the powerful narcotic naturally exist in the brains of mammals, including humans.

“We’ve found the liver can carry out a critical step in morphine production. It has the capability but that still doesn’t mean it does it,” he said. His report appeared in the British science journal Nature.