Hi Karl,

Thanks for sharing that information. I've long known that there are
soporific compounds in lettuce, but I didn't about the specifics...

Regards,

Wes


On Wed, 19 Mar 2003 07:50:00 -0800, carlo7 <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Hi Wes,
>
>Heinerman's Book on Healing Juices says this about lettuce.
>
>"During World War II codeine, an analgesic and antitussive compound, obtained
>from opium was in very short supply. Attention turned to a compound in
>lettuce called lactucarium, which has sedative and respiratory suppressant
>properties similar to codeine and morphine, only much weaker. For a brief
>period, extracts of lettuce juice were given to soldiers in need of pain
>relievers or cough suppressant. It seemed to work fairly well, but when
>codeine was again freely available, the lettuce juice extract was no longer
>of any interest to scientists."
>
>I experimented myself with 'lettuce' and found it does in fact have a
>sedative effect.
>
>This could also explain your experience with it.
>
>-karl