Lactuca virosa / Wild Lettuce / Compositae (Sunflower family)
Information
This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption
or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this
website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended
for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be
interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product.
The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose,
treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this
product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in
the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's
risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and
interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for
any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we
deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain
omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the
documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make
any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these
plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition.
Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular
purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose
may be lacking.
Other Names
Acrid Lettuce, Bitter Lettuce, Green Endive, Green Endive, Lactucarium, Laitue Vireuse, Lettuce Opium, Poisonous Lettuce, Poor Man's Opium, Prickly Lettuce, Strong-scented Lettuce, Wild Lettuce, Wild Opium.
Contents
The milky fluid secreted by Wild Lettuce is called Lactucarium. The two main chemicals responsible for its properties are lactucopicrin and lactucin. Lactuca virosa also contains flavonoids, coumarins, N-methyl-β-phenethylamine.(1)
Historical
Lactuca virosa is believed to have been used for its psychoactive properties by ancient Egyptians based on its depiction in hieroglyphics. It often appears in Egyptian art associated with the god Min, the god of the desert, of lightening and sandstorms, in addition to being known as the god of procreation and fertility. Min was symbolically represented by the lettuce and the phallus.
Over the centuries Wild Lettuce has enjoyed great versatility as a medicinal plant. The Roman emperor Augustus reportedly built a statue of the physician who had prescribed Wild lettuce for him, in the belief that the plant had cured him of a serious illness. The Romans put Wild lettuce on their banquet menus to prevent inebriation. The Arab physician that introduced opium to Islamic medicine (Avicenna 980-1036) wrote that the Lactuca virosa produced opium that was similar, but mild in comparison to real opium.(2)
The Hopi smoked the dried resin, or sap, obtained from the plant. The flower would be cut off and the sap that ran from the stem would be collected. Each day, for a few weeks, another tiny bit was cut from the stem and more sap collected. This sap was then air-dried and later smoked in ritual. The Hopi believe that induced dream states contain more information about reality than the conscious waking state. Wild lettuce is said to enhance the vividness of dreams when smoked prior to sleep.
Plant Description
The plant originated in Southern Europe. It now grows wild in parts of Europe. After its introduction to North America, the plant established itself in the south, where it can still be found growing wild. Wild lettuce grows on banks and waste places, flowering in July and August. It is a biennial herb growing to a maximum height of 6 feet. The erect stem, springing from a brown tap-root, is smooth and pale green, sometimes spotted with purple. There are a few prickles on the lower part and short horizontal branches above. The numerous, large, radical leaves are from 6 to 18 inches long, entire, and obovate-oblong. The stem leaves are scanty, alternate, and small, clasping the stem with two small lobes. The heads are numerous and shortly-stalked, the pale-yellow corolla being strap-shaped. The rough, black fruit is oval, with a broad wing along the edge, and prolonged above into a long, white beak carrying silvery tufts of hair. The whole plant is rich in a milky juice that flows freely from any wound. This has a bitter taste and a narcotic odour. When dry, it hardens and turns brown. Wild lettuce is also called a "compass plant" because its leaves turn to follow the sun during the day.
Legal Remarks
This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries.
Click on the country link for further information.
References
(1) Lactuca virosa, Wikipedia
(2) Opium Lettuce (Lactuca virosa), a1b2c3.com
Articles
Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites,
is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be
interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.
Erowid Wild Lettuce Vault
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