Wild Lettuce
Lactuca virosa
Other names: Wild Lettuce
Photo credit: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: May cause allergic reactions in Asteraceae-sensitive people.
Contraindications: None specifically reported.
Interactions: None specifically reported (sedative additive effect implied).
Evidence level
Documented in systematic traditional medicine literature.
Preparations
infusion · leaf
Part used: leaf
Traditional use: Traditionally used as a sedative/anodyne for insomnia and restlessness, as an antispasmodic for dry irritated coughs and whooping cough, and for colic and muscular/rheumatic pain.
How to prepare (traditional): Infusion: pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of herb and infuse 10-15 minutes.
Dosage note (descriptive only): Drunk three times a day. BHC: 0.5-4 g dried herb three times daily.
tincture · leaf
Part used: leaf
Traditional use: Nervine / anodyne.
How to prepare (traditional): Tincture at 1:5 in 40% alcohol.
Dosage note (descriptive only): 1-2 ml three times a day.
Associated conditions
Healing traditions
Sources (1)
- Hoffmann D., Medical Herbalism (2003) — materia medica, Lactuca virosa