Wild Lettuce

Lactuca virosa

Compass Plant Horse Thistle Prickly Lettuce Wild Lettuce Wild Opium Parts used Uses Habitat and cultivation Constituents How much to take

The wild lettuce is a common plant found all over Europe and normally grows in the open areas as well as beside roads and pathways. The plant is also known as the compass plant as its leaves change direction to follow the sun. Since early ages, antecedents of the wild lettuce have enjoyed a special status as a beneficial therapeutic plant and were treasured as a tranquilizer and pain killer. The herb valued so much that during the 19th century people used it as a substitute for opium! The story goes that Roman emperor Augustus supposedly constructed a statue of a physician who had recommended lettuce to treat him of a serious ailment. While it is not comprehensible which variety of lettuce cured the emperor, it is believed that the herb was prickly lettuce.

Incidentally, similar to the opium the milk like sap or latex of the prickly lettuce hardens and transforms into a brownish color when kept in the open. This material is very much similar to opium in appearance and smell and is known as lactucarium. As mentioned earlier, the herb has been valued over the ages for it medicinal properties. While they included wild lettuce in their feast menus with a view to avoid intoxication, women who had given birth recently used a tea prepared with the herb to enhance lactation or milk production by the mammary glands. Many herbal medicine practitioners also recommended the use of wild lettuce as a diuretic as also a lotion to treat chapped skin. Many people find wild lettuce bitter to taste, but it is said to be horses’ delight.

PARTS USED

Leaves, latex.

USES

Among its multiple therapeutic benefits, wild lettuce is used as a tranquilizer and may be given to adults and children alike to ensure sound sleep at night. It is also useful for cooling down anxiety or strong emotions. Many physicians extensively recommend the herb to treat nervousness and excitement in kids. Combined with other herbs like licorice, wild lettuce is also used to cure coughs. At the same time, many are of the opinion that the herb is useful in restraining the sexual drive. In addition, wild lettuce is also used as an effective pain reliever.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Wild lettuce is a commonly growing plant in all parts of Europe and is found in abundance in the open areas and along the pavements. The herb is commercially cultivated in countries like Austria, France, Germany and Scotland. The herb also grows in waste lands and along the embankments. The herb is collected in summer between July and August when the plant is in blossom. Harvesters cut the apex of wild lettuce and rub it several times in chinaware to extract the herb’s juice or sap. The sap is then warmed a little and tapped to bring it out of its solid cup shape. Next, the substance is cut into small parts and dehydrated for future use.

In the United States, importers get the wild lettuce extract from Germany via England and use it to adulterate opium. The substance is normally availed in uneven, reddish-brown chunks that are of the dimensions of large peas with somewhat decaying outer surface.

It may be mentioned here that all varieties of lettuce encloses some percentage of narcotic sap and among them Lactuca virosa has the maximum concentration of narcotic juice. The other varieties of lettuce include L. scariola commonly known as prickly lettuce, L. altissima, L. Canadensis or wild lettuce commonly found in America and L. sativa also known as the garden lettuce. While cultivation of the last variety of lettuce has significantly reduced the narcotic sap content in it, the herb is still used as an ingredient for lotions to cure skin disorders owing to sunburn and coarseness. In the ancient times people valued the lettuces for its calming and energizing properties.

CONSTITUENTS

The latex contains sesquiterpene lactones (including lactucopicrin and lactucerin); the leaves also contain flavonoids and coumarins. The sesquiterpene lactones have a sedative effect.

HOW MUCH TO TAKE

The wild lettuce may be taken both as an infusion and tincture. Infusion: To prepare an infusion with wild lettuce, add one or two teaspoonfuls of the herb’s leaves in a cup of boiling water and allow it to permeate for 10 to 15 minutes. For effective use, this drink may be taken thrice daily.
Tincture: For best actions, two to four ml of the tincture prepared with the leaves of wild lettuce may be taken thrice every day.