This method for cooked flake opium using the whole pods could also be done with fresh pods, perhaps after they have been lanced in order to get the last of the goodies out. Traditionally this method is used by those who do not have access to fresh pods, and this method allows the extraction of alkaloids from dried pods that can no longer be lanced. More @Wikipedia
Hover over any link to get a description of the article. Please note that search keywords are sometimes hidden within the full article and don't appear in the description or title.