Clinical Overview

Leafy vegetables like lettuce are a natural source of dietary nitrate, which may reduce
systolic blood pressure (BP). In line with this, ARFD School – School of Agriculture, Rural
and Food Development conducted a study entitled “Effect of Lettuce with Different Nitrate
Contents on Blood Pressure” and the result revealed that the design of food-based nutritional
interventions is complicated by the fact that an appropriate placebo treatment is not available.
Therefore, it is not possible to meet the criteria for proper double-blind randomized placebo-
controlled intervention trials. In addition, the biological effects of processed products such as
beetroot juice or solutions with a pharmacological grade may be different from that of fresh
vegetables, for example, it is due to conversion of nitrate to nitrite in the mouth during chewing.
Due to insufficiency of evidence, there is no concrete evidence if Lettuce is used in some
medicinal drugs and have interacted to beetroot juice which is the supplementation in the study
conducted.

However, on the other hand, Parkinson’s Resource Organization posits that dietary
supplements containing wild lettuce are sold in many natural-foods stores and stores specializing
in natural products. You also can purchase wild lettuce products online. Additionally,
Drugs.com states that a variety of legal, alternate "hallucinogenic" products containing lettuce
opium have been available on the market. Brand names of such products include Lettucine,
Black Gold, Lettucene, Lettuce Hash, and Lopium. These products contain a lettuce derivative or
lactucarium and are smoked in pipes or heated in small bowls, and the vapors are inhaled. These
extracts are sometimes combined with damiana distillates, African yohimbe bark, or catnip
distillates.

Contraindication
There’re still no contraindications identified.

Use
Lettuce opium has been used as a topical antiseptic, as folk medicine to ameliorate a
variety of conditions, and as a narcotic substitute or enhancer. It is also a mild sedative and
hypnotic. There is little evidence to support its use for any indication. Lettuce leaf cigarettes
have been marketed as nicotine-free tobacco substitutes. Support for such alternatives has been
variable because of slow acceptance of the unique flavor and the lack of a nicotine-induced kick.

Dosage
There is no recent clinical evidence to support specific dose recommendations.
Discussion
Lettuce opium has been used in folk medicine for indications ranging from aiding
circulation to treating swollen genitals. In Europe, it is used as a substitute for opium in cough
mixtures. In homeopathy, a tincture has been used for laryngitis, bronchitis, asthma, cough, and
urinary tract infections.

In Chinese medicine, lettuce preparations have been widely used. The dried juice has
been recommended as a topical wound antiseptic, and the seeds have been used as a
galactogogue (to increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers). It has been claimed that the
flowers and seeds are effective in reducing fevers.

It is a rich source of vitamin-K. Vitamin-K has a potential role in the bone metabolism
where it thought to increase bone mass by promoting osteoblastic activity in the bone cells. It
also has an established role in the Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in
the brain. Fresh leaves contain good amounts folates and vitamin C. Folates play a vital role in
the prevention of the neural tube defects in the baby (fetus) during pregnancy. Also, Vitamin C is
found in lettuce which is a powerful natural antioxidant. Zeaxanthin (1730 µg per 100 g), an
important dietary carotenoid in lettuce, is selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea,
where it thought to provide antioxidant and alter UV rays damaging the retina. Diet rich in
zeaxanthin and carotenes is believed to offer some protection against age-related macular disease
(ARMD) in the older adults. It also contains healthy amounts of minerals like iron, calcium,
magnesium, and potassium, which are very much essential for body metabolism. Potassium is an
important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood
pressure.

References:
“Parkinson’s Resource Organization”. (2018, November, 30). HEALTH BENEFITS OF WILD
LETTUCE. Retrieved from http://www.parkinsonsresource.org/news/articles/health-benefits-of-
wild-lettuce/.
“US National Library of Medicine”. (2016, May 23). Effect of Lettuce with Different Nitrate
Contents on Blood Pressure (LBP). Retrieved from
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT02701959.
Rudrappa, U. (2019) 8 Wonderful Lettuce Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits.
Wolters Kluwer Health. (2019). “Drugs.com”. Lettuce Opium. Retrieved from
https://www.drugs.com/npp/lettuce-opium.html