Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses: Gum

Young leaves are edible raw or cooked [2-3]. Fresh foliage is slightly bitter but otherwise pleasantly lettuce-like. Boiled leaves make an excellent potherb. The white latex from cut roots can dry into a chewable gum, but it should not be swallowed deliberately in quantity. The creeping roots themselves are not regarded as food [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 4/5. Blue lettuce receives an overall edibility rating of 4 out of 5. The leaves are tender, abundant, easy to gather, and become excellent after cooking. Its perennial growth and tendency to form colonies increase its practical value. The rating is reduced mainly because of bitterness and the relatively limited caloric value of leafy vegetables [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Culinary Use; Fresh leaves taste like robust dark-green lettuce, with a noticeable but tolerable bitterness. Young leaves can be used raw if particularly mild. Boiling is the best way to prepare mature leaves. A few minutes in water removes much of the bitterness while preserving a pleasant green flavor. The texture remains easily chewable, unlike the tougher foliage of many mature wild greens. Leaves can be used in soups, mixed greens, omelets and other cooked dishes. The root latex dries to a gum-like consistency. Its practical culinary value is low, and its flavor is usually bitter. Seasonality (Phenology): New shoots emerge from creeping roots during spring. Leaves are most tender from spring through early summer. Flowering occurs from June through September. World Flora Online describes the species as a perennial of moist meadows, thickets and prairies flowering June to September. The roots remain alive underground through winter. Safety & Cautions; The leaves are well established as edible greens, but avoid large servings of excessively bitter mature foliage. The latex should be treated conservatively. Its traditional use as gum does not establish safety for swallowing large amounts. Correct identification is important where blue lettuce grows with other blue-flowered composites. Harvest & Processing: Gather tender leaves before or during early flowering. Flowering plants can be used as landmarks to locate younger vegetative shoots within the colony. Wash thoroughly. Eat mild young leaves raw or boil stronger foliage. If collecting latex experimentally, cut only a small section of root and allow the exudate to dry completely before chewing. Traditional Indigenous Uses: Indigenous peoples of western North America used blue lettuce as a leafy vegetable. Its perennial colonies made it a dependable seasonal resource. The plant's creeping roots also allowed repeated leaf harvesting without destroying the entire population. Nutritional Value: As a dark leafy green, blue lettuce likely provides carotenoids, vitamin K, folate, fiber, and minerals. Detailed species-specific analyses are scarce. Young leaves - raw or cooked[85, 212]. A gum obtained from the roots is used for chewing[161, 177, 212, 257].

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Astringent  Poultice

An infusion of the roots and stems has been given to children in the treatment of diarrhoea[257]. A poultice of the plants has been applied to piles[257]. Although we have seen no other specific reports for this species, most if not all members of the genus have a milky sap that contains the substance 'lactucarium' and can probably be used as the report below details[K]. 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]. 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].

Gum

Wildlife & Ecology: Grazing animals readily eat the foliage. This can make competition significant in heavily grazed landscapes. Seeds provide minor food for birds.

Special Uses