Digestion

• The speed that poppy seeds digest is different for everyone. In a healthy human, the total digestion time for a meal may take 40 to 50 hours, according to Colorado State University. However, health, stress, reproductive cycles and gender influence digestive time.
  
  

Digestive Variables

• Some portions of a meal digest more quickly than others. Some particles of a meal can remain in the stomach while faster-digesting portions enter the colon. Additionally, digestive problems, such as constipation, may lengthen the digestion time of poppy seeds.
  
  

Significance

• Common poppy seeds come from opium-producing poppies. Even in small quantities, the alkaloids in poppy seeds can trigger a false positive for opiates in a drug test. According to the University of Rochester, poppy seeds should be avoided at least 3 days before drug testing.