Wild Lettuce Leaf

Wild Lettuce Leaf - LACTUCA VIROSA (Cut & Sifted) (Organically Grown) Available in 1 OZ. COMMON NAME Standardized: wild lettuce  Common Names: Lettuce Opium BOTANICAL NAME Lactuca virosa L.Plant Family: Asteraceae   INTRODUCTION Wild lettuce is not a vegetable but actually a woodland member of the sunflower family. The dried latex or sap of wild lettuce was at one time used as a substitute for opium. Although wild lettuce does not have the calming power of opium, neither does it cause stomach upset, constipation, or diarrhea as opium products do. CONSTITUENTS The sedative effect of wild lettuce is attributed to lactucopicrin and lactucin. The leaf also contains apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, coumarins, mannitol. The fresh leaf but not the dried herb contains hyosycamine, a chemical also found in henbane. PARTS USED Aerial parts (leaf and stem) TYPICAL PREPARATIONS Capsules, teas, tinctures. Fresh green leaves are sometimes added to salads. PRECAUTIONS Specific: No known prec