Wild lettuce, also called bitter lettuce, is an annual and sometimes biennial herb that is original to Europe. Despite the name, the plant is not a vegetable but a member of the aster family, although the young, tender leaves are still harvested as a salad green in its native region.
Historically, wild lettuce has been used topically to ward off infections and internally to ease digestive upsets and to promote a sense of relaxation and well-being. The plant produces a milky latex sap that hardens with contact with air. At one time, this material was used as a narcotic substitute, giving rise to the common name opium lettuce. However, the active compound in the leaf, lactucopicrin, does not produce narcotic effects. The leaf also contains a number of flavonoids, such as apigenin, quercetin and luteolin.
