Wild Lettuce, The Ancient Pain Reliever

Wild Lettuce (Lactuca Virosa, I mention this name because there are several wild lettuces) is an abundant wild plant with a milky latex 'sap'. That sap is where the magic lies. Wild Lettuce preparations are effective both internally & externally.

I call it ancient because this plant has been used medicinally since ancient Greece.

In 430 BC, Hippocrates, (often referred to as the Father of Modern Medicine), wrote about the pain-relieving effects of the plant’s milky sap.

By the 1800s, it had reached America. It was widely put to use throughout the Civil War when opium became scarce.

Around the same time, the polish noted that although wild lettuce had opioid-like effects, it was not addictive like opium poppy. The 19th century Polish journals state: “The action of the substance was weaker than that of opium, but free of the side-effects and medical practice showed that in some cases lactucarium produced better curative effects than opium.”

In my personal experience, I have never felt a feeling of euphoria. I have however felt its fast acting pain relief. My favorite part of this plant, which I go over in the video is the ability to use it as a tar which can be kept in a first aide kit to be easily applied to wounds, made as tea, taken like a pill, or even smoked!