QILO Holiday ‘26 // Decorate Your Christmas Tree

Made in Poland.

Hand-blown glass, hand-painted.

Each piece is individually crafted by a centuries-only artisan workshop.

The Concept

We are not pro-drug or pro-opiates; this is simply part of our series of presenting historical stories from Afghanistan.

The syrupy, sticky substance seen on the outside of Afghan poppy seed pods is opium latex (often historically referred to as Lachryma papaveris or "poppy tears."

To harvest it, farmers use small, multi-bladed tools to gently scratch or "score" the outer wall of the green pod. This causes the internal latex to slowly ooze out to the surface.

Once dried, the sticky paste is raw opium. It naturally contains a high concentration of potent opiate alkaloids, including morphine, codeine, and papaverine, which are refined for both legitimate pharmaceutical pain relief and the illicit narcotics trade.

Measures approximately 7cm (2.5 inches) in diameter - the size of a clementine.

Designed by QILO.