Wild lettuce
Lactuca virosa · Asteraceae
Reviewed by The Sarv Health Team · Updated June 29, 2026 · Our editorial process
Wild lettuce is a tall bitter plant traditionally valued as a gentle, non-addictive sedative and pain reliever, sometimes nicknamed lettuce opium for its calming, mildly pain-dulling milky sap, though it contains no opiates. Used since antiquity and popular among nineteenth-century herbalists, it is classified as bitter and cooling and is taken to calm restlessness, ease anxiety, and promote restful sleep, making it a traditional remedy for insomnia. It is also used to relieve mild pain, including headaches, muscle aches, and menstrual cramps, and to quiet irritating, spasmodic, and nighttime coughs. The milky latex (lactucarium) and its bitter compounds, the lactones, are responsible for its sedative and pain-soothing effects. Calming and gently relaxing, wild lettuce is treasured as a remedy for sleep, restlessness, mild pain, and irritating coughs.
Medicinal Uses
Wild lettuce is a tall, bitter wild plant related to common garden lettuce, and it has been used since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans as a gentle sedative and pain reliever. Because its milky sap has a mildly calming, pain-dulling quality, it earned the nickname lettuce opium, although it contains no opiates and is not narcotic in the way true opium is. It is classified as bitter and cooling.
A foremost medicinal use of wild lettuce is as a calming nervine and sleep aid. It is traditionally used to quiet restlessness, ease anxiety and nervous excitability, and promote relaxation and restful sleep, making it a classic remedy for insomnia, particularly when the mind is overactive or sleep is disturbed.
Wild lettuce is also valued as a mild pain reliever. It has a long traditional use for easing minor aches and pains, including headaches, muscular and joint aches, and menstrual cramps, and was used historically as a gentle alternative for restless, painful conditions.
The herb is additionally a traditional remedy for irritating coughs. Its calming, antispasmodic action makes it useful for dry, tickling, and nighttime coughs, helping to quiet the cough reflex and ease associated restlessness.
The plant's milky latex, known as lactucarium, contains bitter sesquiterpene lactones such as lactucin and lactucopicrin, which are responsible for its sedative and pain-soothing effects. Calming and gently relaxing, wild lettuce is treasured as a remedy for sleep, restlessness, mild pain, and irritating coughs.
Benefits
Promotes restful sleep, calms restlessness and anxiety, relaxes the nervous system, relieves mild pain such as headaches and muscle aches, eases menstrual cramps, quiets dry and nighttime coughs, soothes nervous excitability
How to Use & Dosage
300-1000 mg per day, taken in the evening.
Steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried wild lettuce in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Drink 1 cup in the evening.
1-2 ml (about 20-40 drops), taken 1-3 times daily or before bed.
More Info
Frequently asked questions
What is Wild lettuce used for?
Wild lettuce is a tall, bitter wild plant related to common garden lettuce, and it has been used since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans as a gentle sedative and pain reliever. Because its milky sap has a mildly calming, pain-dulling quality, it earned the nickname lettuce opium, although it contains no opiates and is not narcotic in the way true opium is. It is classified as bitter and cooling.
What are the benefits of Wild lettuce?
Promotes restful sleep, calms restlessness and anxiety, relaxes the nervous system, relieves mild pain such as headaches and muscle aches, eases menstrual cramps, quiets dry and nighttime coughs, soothes nervous excitability
How do you take Wild lettuce?
Common preparations include capsules, infusion, tincture. See the dosage guidance above, and consult a qualified practitioner for amounts suited to you.
This information is for general wellness and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herb — especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
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