Lactuca virosa
| Lactuca virosa | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lactuca virosa (common name: wild lettuce)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually fairly quick.
Cultivation: Prefers a light sandy loam and a sunny position[1].
The wild lettuce is cultivated as a medicinal plant in many areas of Europe[2][3][4].
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[5], usually on calcareous soils[6].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[7]. Very tender[8]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
A mild flavoured oil, used in cooking, is obtained from the seeds[2].
Medicinal: 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[2]. The sap contains 'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties[9][10][3][11][12][13][14]. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but without its tendency to cause digestive upsets[2], nor is it addictive[6]. It is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses, hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain etc[14]. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most concentrated when the plant comes into flower[14]. 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[2]. This species is probably the richest supply of lactucarium[2]. The plant also contains 'hyoscyamine', a powerful depressant of the parasympathetic nervous system[13]. 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[14] and overdoses can cause death through cardiac paralysis[6][9].
Some physicians believe that any effects of this medicine are caused by the mind of the patient rather than by the medicine[13].
The sap has also been applied externally in the treatment of warts[15].
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].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Poisonous[6][16]. Cases of poisoning caused by this plant have only been recorded very rarely[17].
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Studio Vista, 1979.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.