What is Wild Lettuce?

Wild Lettuce is Lactuca virosa, a tall herbaceous plant in the daisy family (Asteraceae), in the same genus as cultivated lettuce. It is native to Europe and naturalized elsewhere. The dried aerial parts (leaf and stem) are offered here.

About the plant

When cut, the plant exudes a milky white latex historically called lactucarium. It has a long history in traditional European herbalism and grows as a biennial in fields and waste ground.

Related botanicals

• Wild Lettuce Extract 20x — a concentrated extract.
• Wild Lettuce Tincture — an alcohol-based liquid extract.

Wild Lettuce: form & sizes

We carry Wild Lettuce as cut and sifted dried leaf and stem, sold by weight in sizes from 1 oz to 1 lb. We sell ethnobotanicals for educational and research purposes and make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store Wild Lettuce in an airtight container, away from heat, light, and humidity, to preserve its color and aroma.

Wild Lettuce at a glance

Botanical name

Lactuca virosa

Family

Asteraceae

Native region

Europe

Plant part

aerial parts

Notable component

Lactucarium (milky latex)

Form

cut and sifted dried leaf and stem

Sizes

1 oz to 1 lb