The expression "opium weights" has only recently been coined but has been very quickly accepted.

Richard Temple who travelled through Burma at the end of the 19th century and even lived there for some time, refers to the weights in his notes, as the Burmese standard weights (in June 1898). Nor does Annandale use the term in his publication of 1917.

Rochesnard calls the weights poids d’Asie, Asian weights. It is not known who first called these handsome sculptures representing animals and fabulous creatures by this misleading and somewhat underserved name.

Certainly the mountain tribes of the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos and Thailand) used the smallest ones for weighting opium, although they were actually made for everyday use, including all sorts of commerce. They were used on scales to weigh all sort of foods, raw materials and metals.