So, let’s talk about one of the most popular weeds on Facebook and TikTok and probably other social media sites that I don’t get on – wild lettuce.

This stuff grows everywhere. I’ve seen it coming up thru cracks in the sidewalk. I think the largest one I’ve ever seen was in a deserted parking lot in the middle of Fort Lupton. It had to have been 6 foot tall. It is a very hardy plant. The stem has small prickles on it, as well as the leaves and if you tried to it eat – well, yuck! As medicine it is great; as food, not so much.

Another name for wild lettuce is ‘opium lettuce’. While it does contain opiate-like compounds, they are very in very low concentrations. There are ways to make them more concentrated – Sam Coffman (The Herbal Medic) has an amazing YouTube on making lactucarium and Seven Song has a short on Face book on how to make concentrated Lactuca tincture.

Lactuca does have sedative, analgesic, anti-spasmodic, and tonic actions due to its very minor narcotic properties. They are found in the sesquiterpenoids in the latex of the plant. This latex is also why we see wild lettuce used as a tincture rather than a tea. I suppose you could eat it, but it is known to be very bitter and… no. Just no.

That is not milk – it’s the latex from the stem when broken. The latex can cause allergic reactions in people allergic to dandelions or other Asteraceae family plants. Usually it is just a rash, but I would be cautious using Lactuca if you have a known allergy.

Bottom line – wild lettuce tincture is not going to replace oxycodone any time soon. It is not nearly that strong, but it can work to relieve pain and spasms, especially in combination with other herbs. Now is the time to harvest it if you want to experiment with the tincture.

Next week, I think I will start a series on how to make tinctures – what type of alcohol to use, what proof, how to percolate them, and ones not to try that with. In the meantime, have a great week!