Is Wild Lettuce (Opium Lettuce) the Same as Opium Poppy (Bread Poppy)?
This question comes up so much! It’s due to the hype, I’m sure, around wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) being hailed as a form of “opium” lettuce a few years ago. According to clinical herbalist and aromatherapist, Heidi Villegas, the two plants are not the same and do not share the same chemistry, although they both produce medicinal latex. This article is a deeper dive into the phytochemistry of both plants so you can note the similarities and differences between Lactuca virosa (wild lettuce) and Papaver somniferum (opium poppy also known as breadseed poppy).
I’ve noticed that in many herbal discussions regarding the similarity and difference between wild lettuce and opium poppy that the physical aspect of the latex both plants produce and the actual chemistry/physiology of the two plants are often blurred together, causing confusion. Let’s clear this up!
Latex is a milky substance some plants produce when wounded. It dries into a resinous material. In both plants, this is the part that is medicinally active, pain-relieving, and sedative to one extent or another. This is why traditional texts call wild lettuce latex “lactucarium.”
However, the chemistry of the latex of the two plants is very different.
Why Poppy (Papaver somniferum) Works as a Sedative and Pain Reliever
Poppy (Papaver somniferum) latex comes from the seed pods of the plant. Although the actual seeds are fine to consume and have been used for cooking for thousands of years, it’s the latex within the pod that is medicinal. Some people claim to feel sleepy or tired after eating poppy seeds, and this is very likely due to the fact that the seed was contaminated with the latex during processing.
Poppy latex from the pod contains various benzylisoquinoline alkaloids that include morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine. These are all true opiate alkaloids and have powerful opioid-receptor activity. Source
Woman relaxing in poppy field.
Why Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa) Works as a Sedative and Pain Reliever
Wild lettuce latex is radically different from poppy latex.
The latex from wild lettuce does NOT contain any true opiate alkaloids in any meaningful way. So, there is no morphine, codeine, or any of the other compounds found in poppy latex. What makes wild lettuce latex effective for sedation and to an extent, pain relief, are bitter sesquiterpene lactones. These include lactucin, lactucopicrin, and other related compounds.
These specific sesquiterpene lactones have shown sedative and analgesic activity on animal research and some preclinical trials, but in no way are they considered “natural morphine.” Source.
Therefore, wild lettuce latex resembles opium latex physically because both are milky plant exudates that dry into a resin. But, they are not at all chemically equivalent in any way. Poppy latex from the breadseed poppy contains true opiate alkaloids. Wild lettuce latex contains bitter sesquiterpene lactones. The traditional use of wild lettuce for calming or pain support is not the same as opium-like opioid activity from Papaver somniferum. I’m using the Latin name here because there are different species of poppies, and they can differ in constituents too.
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Final Thoughts About Wild Lettuce vs. Poppy for Pain Relief and Sedative Support
As you learn herbalism, it’s important to understand the names we choose to call plants and to be able to understand the differences in the chemistry of the plants as well. Calling wild lettuce “opium lettuce” may be historically understandable, but it’s definitely educationally risky.
The naming of plants without using the Latin binomial and educating accordingly can make people assume that wild lettuce acts like opium, or is a safe opioid substitute. That is not a true assumption. It’s much better framed as what it is: a bitter latex-bearing Asteraceae (Aster family) plant with traditional sedative/anodyne use….not as a poppy-like narcotic.
As a responsible herbalist, these are the nuances we need to understand and communicate as we share our knowledge with others.
