Opium Lettuce (Lactuca virosa)
Opium Lettuce Information
Lactuca virosa is the botanical name of the plant more commonly known as opium lettuce. Other common names for Lactuca virosa include bitter lettuce, laitue vireuse, poisonous lettuce, and wild lettuce. It is part of the Asteraceae family of plants.
The Asteraceae family (commonly known as the daisy or sunflower family) is made up of over 20,000 species and 1,100 genera. The Lactuca genus is made up of about 100 species including Lactuca sativa (more commonly known as garden lettuce) that is often used for food.
In medical practice, Lactuca virosa has been used for over a thousand years as a substitute for opium. The Arab physician that introduced opium to Islamic medicine (Avicenna 980-1036) wrote that the Lactuca virosa produced opium that was similar, but mild in comparison to real opium. As a food, Lactuca virosa has a history of being used in salads.
Scientific Classification Of Lactuca virosa
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Lactuca
Species: Lactuca virosa
The plant originated in Southern Europe. It now grows wild in parts of Europe. After its introduction to North America, the plant established itself in the south, where it can still be found growing wild.
Lactuca virosa can grow to a height of five feet, it produces yellow flowers and black fruits. Plants are usually started from seed and grown in soil that is loose and well drained.
Chemistry Of Lactuca virosa
When the plant is cut or wounded, it releases a white latex called Lactucarium. The latex can be collected and allowed to dry. Dried latex can be smoked by itself or mixed with other herbs. It can also be mixed with alcohol and consumed as a liquid.
The main active chemicals found in the latex of Lactuca virosa are lactucopicrin and lactucin (also called lactucine). When ingested, the latex has analgesic (pain-reducing), sedating (induces calmness or sleep), and cough suppressing qualities.
Besides being used as a substitute for opium (when supplies of that drug could not be obtained), Lactuca virosa has been included in medicine to treat such things as dry cough, insomnia, and pain. It has also been utilized in aphrodisiacs. Active chemicals can be found in the leaves as well as the latex.
How To Use Lactuca virosa
The dried leaves (foliage) are most often smoked in a joint or pipe. Care should be taken to remove any bark and stem if you will be rolling the leaves into a joint or it will not burn properly.
The psychoactive effects are similar but very mild and short lasting when compared to smoking real opium. Anyone used to smoking opium will not be impressed, but Lactuca virosa can be a good introduction to the effects of opium for someone who has never tried it before.
You can find Lactuca virosa (opium lettuce) at here. They ship from the USA to most countries. The plant is 100% legal in most countries (including the USA) and the chemicals in the plant are different from those found in real opium, so you won't fail a drug test if you consume it.
About half the people who try it report feeling nothing while the other half report positive effects. People who only use drugs occasionally (or not at all) will benefit the most from this substance. In most cases, people who consume marijuana or other drugs on a daily or almost daily basis, don't feel much.
Someone interested in a legal drug that produces effects similar to those of opium should be aware of the kratom plant. At lower doses, ingestion produces a physically stimulating effect. At larger doses, the stimulating effect is accompanied by a relaxed, euphoric cerebral sensation with some pain relieving properties.
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Books The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants:
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Very nice book and considering the subject matter, it's easy to understand. The botany, history, distribution, cultivation, preparation and dosage of more than 400 psychoactive plants. Over 900 pages with hundreds of black and white illustrations and full color photographs.
Information about almost every plant that has been used for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes. Includes all the common and most of the less common plant drugs. This is the most thorough plant drug encyclopedia available at the present time. Contains three pages of Lactuca virosa info with several color and black and white images.
The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants
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