Lactuca virosa

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Wild lettuce
Lactuca virosa - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-213.jpg
Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Lactuca
Species:
L. virosa
Binomial name
Lactuca virosa
L. 1753 not Thunb. 1800 nor Luce nor Hablitz
Synonyms [1]
Synonymy
  • Lactuca ambiguaSchrad.
  • Lactuca flavidaJord.
  • Lactuca lactucariiLamotte
  • Lactuca patersoniiMenezes
  • Lactuca romanaGarsault
  • Lactuca schimperiJord.
  • Lactuca serratifoliaSennen
  • Lactuca sinuataForssk.
  • Wiestia virosa(L.) Sch.Bip.
Lactuca virosa Lactuca virosa bleeding.JPG
Lactuca virosa

Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, often ingested for its mild analgesic and sedative effects. [2] It is related to common lettuce ( L. sativa ), and is often called wild lettuce, bitter lettuce, laitue vireuse, opium lettuce, poisonous lettuce, tall lettuce, great lettuce [3] or rakutu-karyumu-so.

Contents

Description

Lactuca virosa is biennial, similar to prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola but taller – it can grow to 200 cm (80 inches or almost 7 feet). It is also stouter, the stem and leaves are more purple flushed,[ disputed – discuss ] and the leaves are less divided, but more spreading, [4] similarly to Mycelis muralis but showing more than 5 florets. [5]

The achene is purple black, without bristles at the tip. The pappus is the same as Lactuca serriola. [4]

In the northern hemisphere, it flowers from July until September. [4]

Distribution

Found coastally in Great Britain, [6] rarely in north-east of Ireland. [7] Lactuca virosa is widespread across much of central and southern Europe. [8] It can be found locally in the south east and east of England. In the rest of Great Britain it is very rare, and in Ireland it is absent. It is also found in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India and Australia where it grows in the wild.

In North America, it has been documented as introduced in California, Alabama, Iowa, and Washington, DC, and grows wild in other parts of the continent. [9]

History

Lactuca virosa was used in the 19th century by physicians when opium could not be obtained. It was studied extensively by the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1911. They discovered two chemicals responsible for the properties of L. virosa; lactucopicrin and lactucin. In the United States, the plant experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s. Today the plant is un-scheduled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning it is legal to grow, purchase, and own without prescription or license.

"Wild Salad" has long been known in the world of "natural remedies" or "alternative treatments". It is often referred to as the poor man's opium. [10]

Pharmacology

A latex which is called lactucarium can be derived from the extract of the stem secretions of Lactuca virosa. Oils and extracts can also be produced from L. virosa. These oils and extracts have sedative properties in rodents. [2] Although the standard definition of lactucarium requires its production from Lactuca virosa, it was recognized that smaller quantities of lactucarium could be produced in a similar way from Lactuca sativa and Lactuca canadensis var. elongata, and even that lettuce-opium obtained from Lactuca serriola or Lactuca quercina was of superior quality. [11]

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 , [2] while another, lactucopicrin, has been shown to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in vitro. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lettuce</span> Species of annual plant of the daisy family, most often grown as a leaf vegetable

Lettuce is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps; it can also be grilled. One variety, celtuce, is grown for its stems, which are eaten either raw or cooked. In addition to its main use as a leafy green, it has also gathered religious and medicinal significance over centuries of human consumption. Europe and North America originally dominated the market for lettuce, but by the late 20th century the consumption of lettuce had spread throughout the world. As of 2021, world production of lettuce and chicory was 27 million tonnes, 53 percent of which came from China.

<i>Lactuca</i> Genus of lettuces

Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus includes at least 50 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate Eurasia.

Lactucarium is the milky fluid secreted by several species of lettuce, especially Lactuca virosa, usually from the base of the stems. It is known as lettuce opium because of its sedative and analgesic properties. It has also been reported to promote a mild sensation of euphoria. Because it is a latex, lactucarium physically resembles opium, in that it is excreted as a white fluid and can be reduced to a thick smokable solid.

<i>Cannabis sativa</i> Plant species

Cannabis sativa is an annual herbaceous flowering plant indigenous to Eastern Asia, but now of cosmopolitan distribution due to widespread cultivation. It has been cultivated throughout recorded history, used as a source of industrial fiber, seed oil, food, recreation, religious and spiritual moods and medicine. Each part of the plant is harvested differently, depending on the purpose of its use. The species was first classified by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The word sativa means "things that are cultivated."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lactucopicrin</span> Chemical compound

Lactucopicrin (Intybin) is a bitter substance that has a sedative and analgesic effect, acting on the central nervous system. It is a sesquiterpene lactone, and is a component of lactucarium, derived from the plant Lactuca virosa, as well as being found in some related plants such as Cichorium intybus. It is also found in dandelion coffee.

Opium lettuce refers to several plants in the lettuce genus (Lactuca) producing a lactucarium that has been used as a sedative and analgesic:

<i>Lactuca serriola</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Lactuca serriola, also called prickly lettuce, milk thistle, compass plant, and scarole, is an annual or biennial plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It has a slightly fetid odor and is commonly considered a weed of orchards, roadsides and field crops. It is the closest wild relative of cultivated lettuce.

Wild lettuce is a common name for several lactucarium-containing plants related to lettuce. The name most often refers to Lactuca virosa, though it may also refer to:

<i>Bremia lactucae</i> Species of single-celled organism

Bremia lactucae is a plant pathogen. This microorganism causes a disease of lettuce denominated as downy mildew. Some other strains can be found on 36 genera of Asteraceae including Senecio and Sonchus. Experiments using sporangia from hosts do not infect lettuce and it is concluded that the fungus exists as a quantity of host-specific strains. Wild species, such as Lactuca serriola, or varieties of Lactuca can hold strains that infect lettuce, but these pathogens are not sufficiently common to seriously infect the plant.

<i>Lactuca canadensis</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca canadensis is a species of wild lettuce known by the common names Canada lettuce, Canada wild lettuce, and tall lettuce. Its true native range is not clear, but it is considered to be a native of the eastern and central parts of North America. It naturalized in the western part of the continent as well as in Eurasia.

<i>Lactuca saligna</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca saligna is a species of wild lettuce known by the common name willowleaf lettuce, and least lettuce. It is native to Eurasia but it grows in many other places as an introduced species, including much of North America.

<i>Lactuca muralis</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Lactuca muralis, the wall lettuce, is a perennial flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, also referred to as Mycelis muralis.

<i>Nabalus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Nabalus is a genus of Asian and North American flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.

<i>Lactuca perennis</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca perennis, common names: mountain lettuce, blue lettuce or perennial lettuce, is a perennial herbaceous plant species belonging to the genus Lactuca of the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across most of central and southern Europe. Its leaves are edible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lettuce production in China</span>

China is the world leader in lettuce production, producing half of the world's lettuce. Stem lettuce is grown in the country and the stems are prepared as a cooked vegetable. According to estimates given by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006, China produced around 11,005,000 metric tonnes of lettuce on 500,250 hectares of land. In 2010, the FAO reported that some 12,574,500 tonnes of lettuce were produced during that year. Taiwan is also a producer of good quality head lettuce, which is an export commodity.

<i>Lactuca floridana</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca floridana, commonly known as woodland lettuce, Florida lettuce, or false lettuce is a North American species of wild lettuce. It is native across much of central Canada and the eastern and central United States.

<i>Lactuca graminifolia</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca graminifolia, the grassleaf lettuce is a North American species of wild lettuce. It grows in Mexico, Central America, Hispaniola, and the southern United States from Arizona to Florida, Virginia and the Carolinas.

<i>Lactuca ludoviciana</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca ludoviciana, the biannual lettuce, is a North American species of wild lettuce. It is widespread across much of central and western Canada and the western and central United States from Ontario west to British Columbia and south to Louisiana, Texas, and California. Most of the known populations are on the Great Plains; populations west of there may well represent naturalizations.

<i>Lactuca quercina</i> Species of lettuce

Lactuca quercina is a species of wild lettuce native to Europe and Asia. It is an annual or biennial herb in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae growing from a taproot to maximum heights of 50–200 cm (19.5–78.5 in) or more.

Lactuca aculeata is a species of wild lettuce native to Anatolia, the Levant, Iraq and Iran. A very prickly plant, it is closely related to Lactuca serriola and Lactuca sativa, and can readily interbreed with them. It is possible that Lactuca aculeata contributed to the gene pool of cultivated lettuce.

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List, Lactuca virosa L.
  2. 1 2 3 Wesołowska, A.; Nikiforuk, A.; Michalska, K.; Kisiel, W.; Chojnacka-Wójcik, E. (2006). "Analgesic and sedative activities of lactucin and some lactucin-like guaianolides in mice". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 107 (2): 254–8. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.03.003. PMID   16621374.
  3. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. 1 2 3 Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 391–392. ISBN   0-7232-2419-6.
  5. ↑ Parnell, J and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora Cork University Press ISBN   978-185918-4783
  6. ↑ Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press ISBN   0-521-04656-4
  7. ↑ Hackney, P. (Editor) Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland Third edition 1992. Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN   0-85389-446-9
  8. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana, Lactuca virosa L. includes photos and European distribution map
  9. ↑ Flora of North America, Lactuca virosa Linnaeus, 1753.
  10. ↑ "Nature's Strongest Painkiller is More Effective Than Morphine & is Likely to Grow in Your Garden". 24 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Wickes Felter, Harvey; Uri Lloyd, John (1898). King's American Dispensatory . Cincinnati: Ohio Valley Co. pp. 1114–1117, see Lactuca.—Lettuce and Tinctura Lactucarii (U. S. P.)—Tincture of Lactucarium.
  12. ↑ Holistic Online herb information: Wild Lettuce
  13. ↑ Rollinger, JM; Mocka, P; Zidorn, C; Ellmerer, EP; Langer, T; Stuppner, H (2005). "Application of the in combo screening approach for the discovery of non-alkaloid acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from Cichorium intybus". Current Drug Discovery Technologies. 2 (3): 185–93. doi:10.2174/1570163054866855. PMID   16472227.

General references

  1. Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
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