From the Greek argemos, “a white spot (cataract) on the eye,” which this plant was once supposed to cure. David Hollombe adds the following: “The Greek Argemone is Papaver argemone. Linnaeus ‘recycled’ the name for the American genus. I have read stories of our Argemone being used medicinally in place of P. argemone in India, resulting in glaucoma because of the differing alkaloids in the two plants.”