Lactuca Virosa
''Lactuca virosa'' is a plant in the ''Lactuca'' (lettuce) genus, often ingested for its mild analgesic and sedative effects. 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 or rakutu-karyumu-so. 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, and the leaves are less divided, but more spreading, similarly to '' Mycelis muralis'' but showing more than 5 florets. The achene is purple black, without bristles at the tip. The pappus is the same as ''Lactuca serriola''. In the northern hemisphere, it flowers from July until September. Distribution Found coastally in Great Britain, rarely in north-east of Ireland. ''Lactuca virosa'' is widespread across much of central and sou ...
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Lactucarium
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. History "Lettuce opium" was used by the ancient Egyptians, and was introduced as a drug in the United States as early as 1799. The drug was prescribed and studied extensively in Poland during the nineteenth century, and was viewed as an alternative to opium, weaker but lacking side-ef