Wild lettuce

Wild lettuce has mild sedative, anodyne, and hypnotic properties. Traditionally, it has been used for insomnia, restlessness and excitability in children, pertussis, irritable cough, priapism, dysmenorrhea, nymphomania, muscular or articular pains, and specifically for irritable cough and insomnia. 

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WILD LETTUCE -- Lactuca virosa et al. Family Compositae (Sunflower family). 

Lactuca elongata. Wild lettuce. Lactuca elongata. W. III. 1525. Planta. The plant. 

Common Names Prickly Lettuce, Wild Lettuce, Wild Opium Poison Lactine Dosage 4-8/ioz(28G) Shoots... 

Wild lettuce Lactuca virosa. Biennial. Dried and smoked like opium—sedative. 

Lactucarium— German . "Lettuce opium". Dried milk-juice of Lactuca virosa L.. Compositae (wild lettuce). Conslfr. About 0.2% lactuein about 50% lactucerol hyoscyamlne, lactucic acid, caoutchouc, volatile oil. man-nite. 

Lactuca virosa L. SCN wild lettuce Part herb... 

Lactucarium, the dried latex of wild lettuce (typically, L. virosa), is a brown substance that physically resembles opium and is sometimes referred to as "lettuce opium." While several historical texts have noted "narcotic" properties of lactucarium (Felter and Lloyd 1898 Scudder 1898), the U.S. Dispensatory notes, "we believe that the general experience is in accord with our own in finding it to be almost devoid of narcotic properties" (Wood and LaWall 1918). Although early investigation indicated the presence... 

Intravenous administration of wild lettuce extract led to fevers, chills, abdominal and back pain, neck stiffness, headache, elevated white blood cell counts, and mild liver function abnormalities (Mullins and Horowitz 1998). Such effects are not expected after oral use of wild lettuce. 

No information on the use of wild lettuce during pregnancy or lactation was identified in the scientific or traditional literature. While this review did not identify any concerns for pregnant or lactating women, safety has not been conclusively established. 

In a case series of nine patients, ages 12 to 38, reported to have eaten wild lettuce (L. virosa), adverse events were reported including mydriasis, dizziness, anxiety, urinary retention, decreased bowel sounds, and sympathetic overactivity. Amounts of the plant material ingested were not specified. A personal communication with the author indicated that the plant material was obtained and positively identified (Besharat et al. 2009). 

Besharat, S., M. Besharat, and A. Jabbari. 2009. Wild lettuce Lactuca virosa) toxicity. BMJ Case Rep. 2009. 

No information on the use of wild lettuce during pregnancy or lactation was identified. 

MuUins, M.E., and B.Z. Horowitz. 1998. The case of the salad shooters Intravenous injection of wild lettuce extract. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 40(5) 290-291. 

ORIGIN AND HISTORY. Lettuce is thought to have originated in y sia Minor from wild lettuce. It was popular with pre-Christian people, having appeared on the royal tables of Persian Kings eis long ago as 550 B.C. 

Wild lettuce Lactuca sativa Lactucarine Smoke as opium substitute Mild narcotic-analgesic... 

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