Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) is considered a weed. It’s also known as prickly lettuce, bitter lettuce, tall lettuce, or opium lettuce, and there are several health advantages claimed for it. However, there isn’t enough evidence to back them up.
What Is Wild Lettuce?
Plants have long been utilized as medicine by humans. Today, they may take the form of supplements to enhance or treat one’s health. One of these plants is wild lettuce.
Although wild lettuce is related to cultivated lettuce, it grows as a weed. Because of its strong flavor, it is commonly referred to as a bitter herb. Wild lettuce has a pungent or unpleasant odor and wavy leaves with prickly hairs below. Its yellow blossoms develop into white fluffy plumes loaded of seeds that fly in the breeze. Wild lettuce is sometimes confused for dandelion.
This plant self-seeds every year, which means it can produce and disseminate seeds on its own. Some people consider wild lettuce to be a problem and use pesticides to eradicate it. Some people take wild lettuce as a herbal supplement.
When the plant is cut, a milky white liquid seeps out and becomes brown when exposed to air.
That being said, it is quite risky, and you must know how to use it correctly or you will aggravate your health problems. This plant is known by several names, including:
- Lettuce that is bitter
- Lettuce with Opium
- sour lettuce
- Toxic lettuce
It has some medical properties when used carefully, but there are several species and, unfortunately, many lookalikes, which can lead to a case of mistaken identification and a fairly unpleasant experience.
How to Identify the Wild Lettuce?
- It can grow as a basal rosette or as a stem (sometimes up to 3m tall)
- Simple foliage
- The stalk’s leaves are alternating and clasping.
- White creamy latex exudes (sometimes turning cream colored quickly)
- Each leaf has trichomes on the underside along the midrib (some species like L. canadensis may not always have them)
- Flowers come in a variety of hues (many species have yellow flowers)
- Asteraceae family member with composite blooms
Which Kind of Wild Lettuces are at Risk?
The sap/latex of wild lettuce contains a number of compounds that have analgesic and sedative properties, which means it works to make you drowsy and is an effective pain reliever, hence the moniker opium lettuce.
There are now major dangers involved with eating wild lettuce. To begin with, it may react negatively to any medications you are already on. While it is not addictive, it is easy to have too much in your system, which may be fatal in some situations.
There are lookalikes to most herbs/food plants that might be edible or inedible, and it’s crucial to recognize which is which.
1. the dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale)
Dandelions have leaves that look like wild lettuce, but they aren’t usually serrated and don’t have hairs on the undersides.
They normally grow as a rosette near to the ground, but a wild lettuce plant might grow to be fairly tall with a long stalk. Dandelion blossoms are yellow and resemble those of wild lettuce.
2. Sow Thistle (Sonchus)
Wild Lettuce versus Sow Thistle | Identification & Comparison
Sow thistle has comparable leaf form and a tall stem that oozes a milky white fluid when punctured.
Having said that, the distinctive trait – the hairs on the underside of the leaves – is also absent here. While the flowers are identical, they bloom at different periods.
It’s deemed invasive in many regions since it spreads swiftly across a large area. With that said, it is edible and has been used as rabbit fodder for years, earning it the moniker “hare lettuce” – which I think is cool.
3. Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica)
Stinging nettles, also known as common nettles, have a leaf form similar to wild lettuce, and unskilled foragers may confuse the two, especially because the stems and leaves are both coated in hairs, some of which fall off when touched, producing searing agony.
They may grow to be around 7 feet tall and are abundant throughout Europe, Asia, and the western part of North Africa.
It has its own medical applications for urinary tract infections, diabetes, hay fever, and other conditions, but there is little empirical proof that it helps.
4. Wild Blue Lettuce (Lactuca Biennis)
Blue wild lettuce may be found in the United States, Canada, and Alaska. It features broad, lobed leaves that resemble the leaves of Lactuca Virosa on a tall stem and clusters of blue-ish flowers, thus the name ‘blue lettuce.’
Milkweed blooms in the sun.
5. Milkweed (Asclepias)
Okay, so milkweed is classified as a lookalike plant, but it has nothing in common with a wild lettuce plant. It has wide leaves on a long stem and emits a milky sap/latex when the stem is damaged, hence the name.
While it does not resemble a wild lettuce plant, I can understand novice foragers (those just starting out) mistaking it for wild lettuce.
Some milkweed species contain cardiac poisons and are/were used to poison arrows for hunting and battle by tribes in South America and Africa. If you look at the leaves, they resemble the leaves of a blue lettuce plant – except the huge lobes.
6. Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca Serriola)
Thistle, also known as milk thistle, has a somewhat fetid odor and harsh taste and has been used both culinarily (including the roots as a coffee replacement) and medicinally since ancient times.
The ancient Greeks employed it to cure eye ulcers, while the Navajo used it to induce vomiting.
Warning up
It’s not a good idea to rely on a single source of knowledge, especially when it comes to edible/inedible plants. Because no two people will have the same reaction, it is critical to conduct as much research as possible BEFORE consuming anything unusual.
Remember that not all plants are edible, and eating the incorrect one might result in a very unpleasant experience.
I hope you liked and learned something from this essay. As usual, thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time!
Stay safe!