Lactucarium
Encyclopedia
Lactucarium is the milky fluid secreted by several species of lettuce
, especially Lactuca virosa
, usually from the base of the stems. Lactucarium is known as lettuce opium
because of its sedative
and analgesic
properties. It has been reported to promote a mild sensation of euphoria, but Lactuca virosa is poisonous, and at least one fatality has occurred during an attempt to use it for intoxication. 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.
for use in lozenges, tinctures, and syrups as a sedative
for irritable cough or as a mild hypnotic
(sleeping aid) for insomnia
. The standard definition of lactucarium in these codices required its production from Lactuca virosa
, but it was recognized that smaller quantities of lactucarium could be produced in a similar way from Lactuca sativa and Lactuca canadensis
var. elongata, and even that lettuce-opium obtained from Lactuca serriola
or Lactuca quercina was of superior quality.
In the twentieth century, two major studies found commercial lactucarium to be without effect. In 1944, Fulton concluded, "Modern medicine considers its sleep producing qualities a superstition, its therapeutic action doubtful or nil." Another study of the time identified active bitter principles lactucin
and lactucopicrin
, but noted that these compounds from the fresh latex were unstable and did not remain in commercial preparations of lactucarium. Accordingly, lettuce opium fell from favor, until publications of the hippie
movement began to promote it in the mid-1970s as a legal drug producing euphoria
, sometimes compounded with catnip or damiana
.
The seeds of lettuce have also been used to relieve pain. Lettuce seed was listed as an anaesthetic in Avicenna
's The Canon of Medicine
, which served as an authoritative medical textbook from soon after AD 1000 until the seventeenth century.
The seed of ordinary lettuce, Lactuca sativa, is still used in Avicenna's native Iran
as a folk medicine, and a crude extract of the seeds was shown to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in standard formalin and carrageenan
tests of laboratory rats. It was not toxic to the rats at a dose of 6 grams per kilogram
The active ingredients of lactucarium are believed to be lactucin
and its derivatives lactucopicrin
and 11β13-dihydrolactucin, which have been found to have analgesic
activity equal or greater to that of ibuprofen
in standard hot-plate and tail-flick tests of sensitivity to pain in laboratory mice. Lactucin and lactucropicrin were also found to have sedative
activity in measurements of spontaneous movements of the mice. Some effects have also been credited to a trace of hyoscyamine
in Lactuca virosa
, but the alkaloid was undetectable in standard lactucarium.
), sometimes mixed with borax
. However, it was found to be more efficient to formulate the drug in a cough syrup (Syrupus Lactucarii, U.S.P.) containing net 5% lactucarium, 22% glycerin, 5% alcohol, and 5% orange-flower water in syrup.
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, especially Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic effects which are often described as being similar to that of opium. It is related to common lettuce Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic...
, usually from the base of the stems. Lactucarium is known as lettuce opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
because of its sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
and analgesic
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
properties. It has been reported to promote a mild sensation of euphoria, but Lactuca virosa is poisonous, and at least one fatality has occurred during an attempt to use it for intoxication. Because it is a latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
, 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-effects, and in some cases preferable. However, early efforts to isolate an active alkaloid were unsuccessful. It is described and standardized in the 1898 United States Pharmacopoeia and 1911 British Pharmaceutical CodexBritish Pharmaceutical Codex
The British Pharmaceutical Codex was first published in 1907, to supplement the British Pharmacopoeia which although extensive, did not cover all the medicinal items that a pharmacist might require in daily work...
for use in lozenges, tinctures, and syrups as a sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
for irritable cough or as a mild hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
(sleeping aid) for insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
. The standard definition of lactucarium in these codices required its production from Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic effects which are often described as being similar to that of opium. It is related to common lettuce Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic...
, but it was recognized that smaller quantities of lactucarium could be produced in a similar way from Lactuca sativa and Lactuca canadensis
Lactuca canadensis
Lactuca canadensis is a species of wild lettuce known by the common name Canada lettuce, or Canada wild lettuce. It is native to much of North America, especially in eastern regions, but it can be found all across the continent, having been introduced widely...
var. elongata, and even that lettuce-opium obtained from Lactuca serriola
Lactuca serriola
Prickly Lettuce is an annual or biennial plant, slightly foetid, that is commonly considered a weed of orchards, roadsides and field crops. The closest wild relative of cultivated lettuce , it grows throughout the temperate regions of all major continents. The leaves grow along a spiny stem and...
or Lactuca quercina was of superior quality.
In the twentieth century, two major studies found commercial lactucarium to be without effect. In 1944, Fulton concluded, "Modern medicine considers its sleep producing qualities a superstition, its therapeutic action doubtful or nil." Another study of the time identified active bitter principles lactucin
Lactucin
Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It has been shown to have analgesic and sedative properties....
and lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin is a bitter substance that has a sedative and analgesic effect, acting on the central nervous system. It is a sesquiterpene lactone, and is a component of lactucarium, derived from the plant Lactuca virosa , as well as being found in some related plants such as Cichorium intybus...
, but noted that these compounds from the fresh latex were unstable and did not remain in commercial preparations of lactucarium. Accordingly, lettuce opium fell from favor, until publications of the hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
movement began to promote it in the mid-1970s as a legal drug producing euphoria
Euphoria (emotion)
Euphoria is medically recognized as a mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy...
, sometimes compounded with catnip or damiana
Damiana
Turnera diffusa, known as damiana, is a shrub native to southwestern Texas in the United States, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. It belongs to the family Passifloraceae....
.
The seeds of lettuce have also been used to relieve pain. Lettuce seed was listed as an anaesthetic in Avicenna
Avicenna
Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā , commonly known as Ibn Sīnā or by his Latinized name Avicenna, was a Persian polymath, who wrote almost 450 treatises on a wide range of subjects, of which around 240 have survived...
's The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine
The Canon of Medicine is an encyclopedia of Galenic medicine in five books compiled by Ibn Sīnā and completed in 1025. It presents a clear and organized summary of all the medical knowledge of the time...
, which served as an authoritative medical textbook from soon after AD 1000 until the seventeenth century.
Contemporary use
Although lactucarium has faded from general use as a pain reliever, it remains available, sometimes promoted as a legal psychotropic.The seed of ordinary lettuce, Lactuca sativa, is still used in Avicenna's native Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
as a folk medicine, and a crude extract of the seeds was shown to have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in standard formalin and carrageenan
Carrageenan
Carrageenans or carrageenins are a family of linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red seaweeds. There are several varieties of carrageen used in cooking and baking. Kappa-carrageenan is used mostly in breading and batter due to its gelling nature...
tests of laboratory rats. It was not toxic to the rats at a dose of 6 grams per kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
Mechanism
Lactucin
Lactucin is a bitter substance that forms a white crystalline solid and belongs to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. It is found in some varieties of lettuce and is an ingredient of lactucarium. It has been shown to have analgesic and sedative properties....
and its derivatives lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin
Lactucopicrin is a bitter substance that has a sedative and analgesic effect, acting on the central nervous system. It is a sesquiterpene lactone, and is a component of lactucarium, derived from the plant Lactuca virosa , as well as being found in some related plants such as Cichorium intybus...
and 11β13-dihydrolactucin, which have been found to have analgesic
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
activity equal or greater to that of ibuprofen
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for relief of symptoms of arthritis, fever, as an analgesic , especially where there is an inflammatory component, and dysmenorrhea....
in standard hot-plate and tail-flick tests of sensitivity to pain in laboratory mice. Lactucin and lactucropicrin were also found to have sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
activity in measurements of spontaneous movements of the mice. Some effects have also been credited to a trace of hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine
Hyoscyamine is a tropane alkaloid. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the Solanaceae family, including henbane , mandrake , jimsonweed , tomato and deadly nightshade...
in Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa
Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic effects which are often described as being similar to that of opium. It is related to common lettuce Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic...
, but the alkaloid was undetectable in standard lactucarium.
Formulations
Lactucarium was used unmodified in lozenges, 30-60 milligrams (0.5 to 1 grainGrain (measure)
A grain is a unit of measurement of mass that is nominally based upon the mass of a single seed of a cereal. From the Bronze Age into the Renaissance the average masses of wheat and barley grains were part of the legal definition of units of mass. However, there is no evidence of any country ever...
), sometimes mixed with borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
. However, it was found to be more efficient to formulate the drug in a cough syrup (Syrupus Lactucarii, U.S.P.) containing net 5% lactucarium, 22% glycerin, 5% alcohol, and 5% orange-flower water in syrup.