Lactuca Virosa: An Alternative Painkiller

There are many herbs and spices which can help to treat inflammation and other related conditions which cause acute and chronic pain which may be worthy of considering as opioid addiction related overdoses have surpassed gun related deaths within the United States. Big Pharma is banking on and would prefer if you just keep using their drugs, but there are other options which may help you.

Wild lettuce/opium lettuce/Lactuca Virosa/bitter lettuce is a natural morphine like pain alternative that has been used in traditional medicines as a substitute to opium for centuries, which has started to gain popularity for pain relief and recreational purposes since the 1970s.

This common leafy plant with small yellow buds that many class as a weed has pain relieving and sedative effects stemming from lactucarium found in its leaves and stem. Compounds in the milky substance act directly on the nervous system to lessen feelings of pain without opiates.

Aside from its pain relieving properties this plant may also help to treat coughs, insomnia, headaches and anxiety. It may also be beneficial for keeping asthma attacks at bay.

Traditional remedies steep this medicinal plant in a herbal tea using its dried leaves and stems, or cooking the plant in water with a sugar mix until a syrup like substance is left. Although tea is still common it has a bitter taste, more people are using the dried leaves and stem for smoking or vaporizing.

This medicinal plant grows commonly in the wild in England in North America, but should you be in pain and be in an area where it is not found it can also be purchased as a dried herb, extract, or resin. However, it would come as no shock if this legal commercial option disappears in the near future given its possible euphoric qualities, as such the US DEA is trying to add this natural non-opiate plant to the list of illegal controlled substances.