Lactuca, Lettuce

Kahu (Wild Lettuce, Unani)
Tukhm e Kahu (Lettuce seed, Unani)
Picture Materia Medicinale Andrea Valuassori, 1562

Picture Left: Garden or Headed Lettuce; Right: Wild Lettuce
Kreutterbuch, Matthiolus, 1586

Picture Lactuca
Koehler’s Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887

Picture Lactuca virosa
Atlas der Officinellen Pflanzen, Berg & Schmidt, Leipzig, 1893

Picture LACTUACARIUM
Squibb’s Atlas of the Official Drugs, Mansfield, 1919

Botanical name:


Lactuosa virosa (Wild Lettuce)
Garden, Common, Cabbage(-like), and Curled or Field varieties were used

Parts used:


Leaf; Seed; also the dehydrated Juice of the Wild Lettuce,
‘Lactucarium‘ is the milky juice obtained by cutting the stems horiztonally and collecting.

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Bitter. The Wild is colder and more bitter.

Classifications:


2R. NARCOTICS & HYPNOTICS
3H. LACTAGOGUE.    3J. INCREASE SEMEN.    3K. EXPECTORANT
4a. CEPHALIC.    4e. STOMACHIC.    4f. SPLENETIC.    4g. HEPATIC.    4h. NEPHRITIC.    4j. NERVINES.    4k. ARTHRITIC

Uses:


1. Clears Heat and Choler [Bile], promotes Rest:
-Cools the Stomach, loosens the Belly
-good for Heat, restlessness, insomnia, irritability, inflammation and pain

2. Stops Cough:
-see the juice, below

3. Increases Milk

4. Externally:
-leaves cure Headache, Burning;
-causes sleep if used as a Foot bath


SEED:
1. One of the Lesser Cold Seeds:
-clears Heat, reduces Bile, good for Fever
-heat of the Stomach, Liver, Kidneys or Bladder
-good for pain from inflammation

2. Clears Heat and Damp:
-heat of the Urine; burning Urine
-‘virulent Gonorrhea’.

3. Clears Heat, Calms the Mind and Nerves:
-restlessness, mental illness, irritability from Heat
-Insomnia

4. Otherwise, used as the Leaves


DEHYDRATED JUICE:
1. Clears Heat, Relieves Pain:
-used for various types of pain
-substitute for Opium

2. Calms the Mind, Promotes Rest:
–excitement, insomnia

3. Stops Cough:
-cough, spasmodic Cough, especially during cough cough (Leclerc)
-extract of Wild Lettuce is ‘one of the most powerful palliatives against asthma’. (Wolff)

4. Astringent:
-Obstinate Spermatorrhea (Leclerc)


Dose:


Powdered Herb: 250mg–2 grams in powder
Decoction: 2–6 grams
Dehydrated Juice: 100mg (4–12 grains)

Correctives:


Mint; Celery; Galls; with Vinegar as a Salad

Substitute:


Purslane leaf; Endive or Chicory

Comment:


The dehydrated or concrete juice of Garden Lettuce was introduced as Lactucarium, as was called Lettuce Opium, having similar, but milder effects to Opium. Later, it was prepared from Wild Lettuce, L. virosa. An extract of half the strength of Lactucarium is prepared by boiling the whole plant in water for several hours, then straining, pressing well, then evaporating. Dose of the concrete juice is 2–4 grains, the dose of the evaporated extract is 3–6, or 8 grains.

Main Combinations:


1. Gonorrhea, Spermatorrhea:
i. from Heat, Lettuce seed with Cannabis seeds Rue seed (as in Powder for Gonorrhea from Heat of Nicholas)
ii. Lettuce seed with Mint, Agnus Castus, Orris, Rue seed 9as in Powder for Gonorrhea)
iii. Lettuce seed with Rue, Angus Castus, Rose, Pomegranate, Licorice (as in Powder of Licorice)
2. Kidney Ulcers, with Purslane seed, White Poppy seed, Endive seed (as in Powder of Montagnana for Kidney Ulcers of Nicholas)
3. Mental illness from excess Heat, Lettuce seed with Water Lily flower, Violet flower, Rose,, Poppy seed, Red Coral (as in Powder for Madness)
4. Obstinate Cough without expectoration and acute Edema, Lactuacarium (12 grains), Rob of Elder, Extract of Licorice (of each sufficient) form 4 pills, one pill every 3 hours.
5. Cardiac Edema, extract of Wild Lettuce (2–4 grains), Digitalis herb (½ grain), white sugar (½ scruple). Mix for 12 doses, 2–3 doses per day (Hufeland)
6. Hydrothorax, extract of Wild Lettuce (2 scruples), Tincture of Digitalis (½ dram), Tincture of Squill (2 drams), Cinnamon Water (1 ½ drams). Mix. Dose: 30–50 drops.
7. Ascites, Lactucarium (1 dram), Squill powder, Digitalis powder, Saltpeter (2 drams each). Form 72 pills, coat with Orris powder. Dose: 2 pills, twice daily. (Sobernheim, 1840)

Major Formulas:


Powder for Gonorrhea from Heat (Nicholas)
Decoction to Cool the Blood (Wirtzung)
Decoction of Maidenhair (Humain)
Syrup Against Consumption
Syrup of Water Lily Flowers
Syrup of Chicory and Rhubarb (Nicholas)
Syrup of Marshmallow (Fernel)
Troches of Agnus Castus
Troches of Judaeus for Wakefulness
Lohoch of Poppy (Lohoc de Papavere)
Electuary of Seeds
Electuary of Poppy (Diapapaver) (Mesue)
Electuary to Restore Humidity (Arnold de Villa Nova)

Cautions:


1. Not for Coldness and weakness of the Digestive system

Main Preparations used:


Distilled Water of the Leaves, Dehydrated Juice

1. Dehydrated Juice of Wild Lettuce:
Note: this is dehydrated juice of the whole plant while Lactucarium is the milky juice collected from cutting the stem.
i. leaves of Wild Lettuce, sufficient quantity. Bruise in a stone mortar sprinkling with a little water; press the juice and evaporate in a water-bath, constantly stirring with a spatula towards the end. (Edinborough)
ii. Wild lettuce leaf (1 pound). Bruise in a mortar, press the juice. Boil the residue for an hours in Water (3 pound), strain and press. Boil down, mix the liquors, then evaporate to an extract. (Dispensarium electorale Hassiacum, 1806)
iii. fresh Wild Lettuce leaf; boil several times with fresh water to exhaust the drug; combine the liquors, boil down then evaporate in a water-bath to an extract.

2. Tincture of Wild Lettuce:
i. Fresh Juice of Wild Lettuce, concentrated Alcohol (equal parts). Macerate without heat for several days, filter.
ii. Herb of Wild Lettuce (1 oz,), Cinnamon (1 dram), concentrated Alcohol, Distilled Water (4 oz.). Digest several days, express, filter. (Niemann)

3. Tincture of Lactucarium:
i. Lactucarium (1 oz), Proof Spirit (1 pint). Digest, filter. Dose: 10–60 drops. (Niemann)

4. Distilled Water of Garden Lettuce:
i. fresh Lettuce (1 part), Water (2 parts). Distil two-thirds. (Pharmacopoeia Sardoa, 1773)