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Wild Lettuce  Lactuca virosa

Family: Compositae

---Synonyms---Wild Lettuce, Lettuce Opium

--Parts Used---Dried leaves

Active Compounds:

• Lactucin, a sesquiterpene lactone
• Flavonoids; mainly based on quercitin
• Coumarins; cichoriin and aesculin
• N-methyl-b-phenethylamine

---Medicinal Actions and Uses---Nervine, anodyne, hypnotic, anti-spasmodic.

Wild Lettuce is a valuable remedy for use in insomnia, restlessness and excitability (especially in children) and other manifestations of an over active nervous system. As an anti-spasmodic it can be used as part of a holistic treatment of whooping cough and dry irritated coughs in general. It will relieve colic pains in the intestines and uterus and so may be used in dysmennhorea. It will ease muscular pains related to rheumatism. It has been used as an anaphrodisiac.