What Is Wild Lettuce?
Wild Lettuce commonly refers to the more bitter cousins of common garden lettuce. This group of plants is used in everything from sleep tonics to soap to teas. The three main species of this group are Lactuca Virosa, Lactuca Canadennis, and Lactuca Serriola. They have been used in herbal medicine throughout history mainly as a sleep aid. You may have noticed in your local supermarket that lettuce comes in many different varieties. Just click on the link to http://www.botany.com/lactuca.html to get a description of some popular breeds. The wild relations are edible but more bitter in taste. Just look at any bag of mixed field greens and you will see many varieties of wild Lettuce. The history of Wild Lettuce can be traced way back to the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptian god of fertility, Min, is closely tied to the plant and he is often depicted holding a rosette of Lactuca Serriola. A few good articles on the Egyptians and the use of Wild Lettuce as an aphrodisiac and sex enhancer can b
I craft in everything I do from cooking, to music, to just cleaning my house. I somehow turn it all into an art. I enjoy creating web-pages by writing my own origingal html. I play Flamenco Guitar among other styles. I also play the flute, french horn, violin, viola, and piano. I do beadwork, rosaries, altars, altar mantles, drawings, boxes, quilts and my husband and I enjoy dying clothes, though lately we can’t afford the dye. I will look into natural dyes that I can cultivate or find for free. Natural is better anyway, right? I would be sewing my own clothes too if I had the money for material. I don’t, so I alter the clothes I have to fit my personal style. I also read cards, but I don’t do it much because the power if it scares me. I gotta try that wild lettuce idea. Where can I find it or how can I grow it? I am chronically ill, but medical marijuana is illegal here. I feel I should have to right to medicate myself naturally instead of taking the chemically manufactured drugs that
Wild lettuce is the wild relative of the domesticated lettuce used the world over for salads and other dishes. This plant has historically been used as a sleep aid to help people sleep and relax, and in fact tinctures of wild lettuce were sometimes referred to as “lettuce opium.” This plant can be found growing wild in many regions of the world, and it can also be cultivated from seed. Stores which stock herbal medicines and supplies may carry the seeds, and they can also be ordered directly through nurseries. Most commonly, people think of Lactuca virosa when they are discussing wild lettuce. This plant superficially resembles the loose leaf lettuce cultivars grown in many gardens. When cut, it exudes a thick, milky sap which can be collected and turned into lactucarium, a concentrated substance which can be used in tinctures and teas. This sap is a type of latex, and in some communities, people smoke the sap much like opium. Documented use of wild lettuce dates to Ancient Egypt, when
