Lactucarium
This article needs more primary sources. (September 2015) |
Lactucarium | |
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Source plant(s) | Lactuca spp. |
Part(s) of plant | Latex (see also seeds) |
Geographic origin | Southern Europe |
Uses | Analgesic, sleep aid, euphoriant |
Legal status |
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Lactucarium is the milky fluid secreted by several species of
, in that it is excreted as a white fluid and can be reduced to a thick smokable solid.History
"Lettuce opium" was used by the
In the twentieth century, two major studies found commercial lactucarium to be without effect. In 1944, Fulton concluded, "Modern medicine considers its sleep producing qualities a superstition, its therapeutic action doubtful or nil." Another study of the time identified active
The seeds of lettuce have also been used to relieve pain.[medical citation needed] Lettuce seed was listed as an anaesthetic in Avicenna's The Canon of Medicine, which served as an authoritative medical textbook from soon after AD 1000 until the seventeenth century.[10]
Contemporary use
Although lactucarium has faded from general use as a pain reliever, it remains available, sometimes promoted as a legal
The seed of ordinary lettuce,
Chemical constituents
The chemical constituents of lactucarium that have been investigated for biological activity include
Lactuca virosa contains flavonoids, coumarins, and N-methyl-β-phenethylamine.[12][unreliable source?] A variety of other chemical compounds have been isolated from L. virosa. One of the compounds, lactucin, is an adenosine receptor agonist in vitro,[9][failed verification] while another, lactucopicrin, has been shown to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in vitro.[13]
Lactuca floridana was found to contain 11β,13-Dihydro-lactucin-8-O-acetate hemihydrate.[14]
Formulations
Lactucarium was used unmodified in lozenges, 30–60
References
- ^ Adams C (2005-01-06). "Is iceberg lettuce a drug?". The Straight Dope. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
- PMID 12762295.
- ^ a b Harkins T (2021-05-31). "Wild Lettuce - Everything You Need to Know • New Life On A Homestead". New Life On A Homestead. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- PMID 17153150.
- ^ Felter HW, Lloyd JU (1898). "King's American Dispensary:Tinctura Lactucarii (U. S. P.)—Tincture of Lactucarium". Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (1911). "Lactuca, Lactucarium". Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ Harvey Wickes Felter, John Uri Lloyd (1898). King's American Dispensatory. Cincinnati: Ohio Valley Co. pp. 1114–1117. See Lactuca.—Lettuce and Tinctura Lactucarii (U. S. P.)—Tincture of Lactucarium at Henriette's Herbal Homepage.
- ^ "Lettuce opium". Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ PMID 16621374.
- PMID 7051568.
- PMID 15138019.
- ^ "Wild Lettuce". Holistic Online herb information.
- PMID 16472227.
- PMID 21578003.