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Lactuca virosa - L.

Wild Lettuce

Author	L.	Botanical references	17
Family	Compositae	Genus	Lactuca
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Poisonous[7, 19]. Cases of poisoning caused by this plant have only been recorded very rarely[65].
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Belgium south and west to N. Africa, Central Russia and W. Asia.
Habitat	Grassy places by roads, canals etc and on banks near the sea[17], usually on calcareous soils[7].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Biennial growing to 1.8m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Oil.

Leaves - raw or cooked[52]. Very tender[5]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. A mild flavoured oil, used in cooking, is obtained from the seeds[4].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anodyne; Antispasmodic; Digestive; Homeopathy; Hypnotic; Narcotic; Sedative; Tonic.

The whole plant is rich in a milky sap that flows freely from any wounds. This hardens and dries when in contact with the air[4]. The sap contains 'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties[9, 21, 46, 165, 192, 213, 238]. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but without its tendency to cause digestive upsets[4], nor is it addictive[7]. It is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses, hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain etc[238]. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most concentrated when the plant comes into flower[238]. It is collected commercially by cutting the heads of the plants and scraping the juice into china vessels several times a day until the plant is exhausted[4]. This species is probably the richest supply of lactucarium[4]. The plant also contains 'hyoscyamine', a powerful depressant of the parasympathetic nervous system[213]. An infusion of the fresh or dried flowering plant can also be used[9]. The plant should be used with caution, and never without the supervision of a skilled practitioner. Even normal doses can cause drowsiness whilst excess causes restlessness[238] and overdoses can cause death through cardiac paralysis[7, 9]. Some physicians believe that any effects of this medicine are caused by the mind of the patient rather than by the medicine[213]. The sap has also been applied externally in the treatment of warts[222]. A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[9]. It is used in the treatment of chronic catarrh, coughs, swollen liver, flatulence and ailments of the urinary tract[9].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a light sandy loam and a sunny position[1]. The wild lettuce is cultivated as a medicinal plant in many areas of Europe[4, 46, 61].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually fairly quick.

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Lactuca virosa

Faruk Fri Apr 25 22:06:42 2003

If you want a variety of Lactuca Virosa products, be shure to check out wildlettuce.com! This site is the only shop in the world completely and exclusively devoted to L. Virosa. Check it out! - Faruk

Link: www.wildlettuce.com

Lactuca virosa

Marcus Mon Aug 23 16:56:04 2004

Link: forgottenseeds Our webshop could prove you with such rare seeds and sometimes even plants. Not just lactuca virosa but many more! Come in and find out.

Lactuca virosa

ALFREDO Mon Oct 9 2006

COMSUMÍ UNAS TRES GOTAS DE LACTUCA ORALMENTE, TENGO TRES DIAS CON DOLOR DE CADEZA Y NO SE ME QUITA HE TOMADO ANALGESICOS Y EL DOLOR NO CEDE, ESTOY ARREPENTIDO DE HABERLA CONSUMIDO ¿COMO SE QUITA EL DOLOR? Y ¿CUANDO SE ME QUITARÁ?

Lactuca virosa

Opium L. Wed Dec 24 2008

don't burn the lactucarium!!! the medicinal factors will be shot! making a tea, or vaporizing the lactucarium is the only way to get a full effect.

Lactuca virosa

Fatimah Abdul-Basir Thu Jul 16 2009

You state that an overdose of lactucarium is toxic (cardiac arrest caused) but nothing is said to define what an "overdose" is. What amount is considered accessive and an "overdose"

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