Lactucarium-Lettuce Milk
I had such a good batch of lettuce last year that I am determined to recreate the experience again this fall. The type of lettuce I grow is called Buttercrunch lettuce-it came out with a distinct look and taste that was so fresh when I cut the stalks to harvest it there was milk pouring out of it.
I had never seen such a thing. After marveling at the spectacle dripping down the fresh cuts I called some friends that also garden to see if they had ever witnessed such a substance. Nope. Not one person I asked knew about “Lettuce Milk”.
I went to the internet for answers.
The botanical name for the substance is lactucarium, which comes from lactus, the Latin word for milk (the botanical name for lettuce is lactuca sativa, which also stems from this word). There was a time when people would use this milk for tinctures and such to help aid sleep or to relax. I was shocked that not one of my gardening friends had come across this “milk” before when harvesting lettuce.
From Wikipedia-
“Lettuce opium” was used as far back as ancient Egyptian times and was introduced as a drug in the United States as early as 1799. The drug was prescribed and reviewed 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…
