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How To Use Wild Lettuce For Survival
If you have just heard about Wild Lettuce you might be asking yourself “what in the world is wild opium lettuce” and “why should I even pay the slightest bit of attention to it?”
Wild Lettuce has quite a few unique properties which may lead you to ask additional questions “Is it safe? How can you identify it? How do you prepare it?”
Wild Lettuce
Within this article we aim to answer any questions you might have, educating you on one of the most incredible plants around.
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Wild Lettuce, which is also known as Lactuca Virosa, has been used in medicine since the time of the ancient Greeks. The plant’s seeds, sap, and leaves are known to contain specific medicinal properties. Evidence and writing date back as far as 430 BC which shows that Hippocrates, who is popularly known as the Father of Modern Medicine, knew about the effects the plant’s sap can have in relieving pain.
Fast forward a few centuries and as Civil War was leaving a wake of destruction across America, reliable supplies of opium were becoming difficult to come by, which in turn resulted in a surge in popularity of Wild Lettuce
While the effects of wild lettuce are less pronounced than a real opiate, many of the side effects associated with opium are not present and the addictive properties are non-existent.
It’s not at all surprising that the 1970’s saw a resurfacing interest in the plant, but this time around it wasn’t a war that drove the increased attention. As the hippie scene was in full swing across much of America, many sought the plant as a legal means of accessing a mild psychotropic, using the sap to get high.
To this day it remains a popular option amongst those looking at non-traditional medicine or anyone interested in survival skills, it grows remarkably well in most parts of the world.
The Law and Wild Lettuce
If you’re lucky enough to live in the United States, you’ll be very glad to hear that Wild Lettuce is 100% legal to own, buy, trade, grow and use. It’s classified as an unscheduled substance, so you can do whatever you want with it. However, this is true of the USA, the laws in other countries might differ, so please do check locally applicable laws before doing something that might come back to haunt you.
What Can Wild Lettuce be Used For?
The uses for Wild Lettuce go far beyond just being a painkiller, it has a variety of uses that make it an incredibly valuable natural occurring asset. Additionally, as there are no documented adverse reactions or addiction issues surrounding it, it’s safe to self-administer with little fear of anything untoward happening.
Pain Relief
The pain-reducing effects of this plant are well documented and have been used by many civilizations for thousands of years. Its power is roughly equal to that of aspirin or ibuprofen. If you suffer from any long-term pain or would just like to explore alternative pain relief options, then Wild Lettuce is well worth checking out.
We’ve personally had reports of people successfully treating hangovers, arthritis, minor bumps, and headaches with the plan. When it comes to pain wild lettuce will take care of the situation. It is native to central and southern Europe and ranges from there to the northern tip of Asia.
Like many of the weeds that follow a man around it now can be found growing just about where ever the colonials touched the ground. The part used in medicine is the leaves which are gathered in June or July, or before the plant shoots to seed.
Diuretic Effects
The plant has been shown to positively affect a user’s urinary flow. As such it can be used to treat a range of urinary issues, for example, edema and infections.
Stress or Insomnia
We’ve all been there before, lying in bed, feeling tired, but unable to sleep. This can be caused by stress, pain, or a host of other reasons. Thankfully wild lettuce might just be the answer. The plant’s sap has calming sedative effects. After a couple of doses, you might just find yourself slipping into a rejuvenating natural sleep, waking up refreshed and all set to face the day. If you combine
Panic or Anxiety
Sometimes we all need a little bit of help overcoming anxiety, perhaps you hate flying or your worries about a job interview, regardless of the cause, it’s never a pleasant experience. Wild opium lettuce has relaxing properties which might just be what you’re looking for. The mild sedative effects will calm nerves, relieve stress, and cause worry to leave your body, at least temporarily.
Coughs and Colds
Every year once the colder weather arrives, it seems like a torrent of coughs and colds are released into our office, causing every last one of us to splutter, cough, and feel thoroughly miserable. Luckily for us, wild lettuce can relax the respiratory system, easing breathing and helping to clear the sinuses. It’s a godsend when you’re blocked up and can provide a few hours of relief.
Recreational Use
We should add a disclaimer to this part, we don’t want to promote the use of drugs or anything related to drugs. However, Wild Lettuce is entirely legal to use and has been safely used for countless generations, so if you feel compelled to experiment with its psychoactive effects, you should be relatively safe to do so. Please do consult a trained medical practitioner before trying!
Preparing and Using Wild Lettuce
Preparing wild lettuce is not a difficult task, the main challenge is choosing a method that works best for you.
Tea from Dried Wild Lettuce
If you’re looking for a mild and gentle effect, a tea made from the leaves is probably the recommended route to pursue. It doesn’t taste too bad and it can be mixed with other more flavor teas to create the perfect cuppa. You can also buy already prepared Wild Lettuce teas online which saves a lot of hassle.
Tincture Concentrate
A tincture is a fantastic way of carrying wild lettuce with you, they are made from concentrate, so a small amount can go a long way. Just drop some on your skin or in your mouth and the medicinal effects will start to take effect pretty quickly. As with the tea, tinctured can be bought online.
Smoking Wild Lettuce
Smoking wild lettuce results in one of the fastest ways to get the acting effects. Smoking is not great for your lungs; so if you have asthma or other breathing difficulties, you might want to stick to one of the other methods above.
Extracting the Active Ingredients
If you’d like to make your Wild Lettuce extract, the steps are fairly simple and don’t require much in the way of equipment.
- Roughly chop or blend the plant’s leaves, you don’t want to overdo this, you’re not looking to create a paste.
- Add the chopped leaves to a pot of water and bring them to a boil.
- Simmer the leaves until the water has turned a very dark green/brown color.
- Strain the brew through a fine sieve into another pot.
- Press down on the leaves to extract as much water as possible.
- You can chuck out the boiled leaves.
- Put the strained mixture back on the stove and boil it until you’re left with a paste.
- This paste is the Wild Lettuce concentrate.
- Once cooled add the paste to an airtight vile and store it out of direct sunlight or temperature extremes.
- Take a dose whenever it’s required.
- You can pour it into a vial and store it in your bug-out bag, medical cabinet, or elsewhere for later use.
How Much to Take?
Correct dosing is not set in stone, there are no official recommendations and the strength of the product can vary greatly. If you’re a large and frequent user, you’ll need to take larger doses to receive the same benefits as someone who’s a smaller and infrequent user.
It’s advisable to start at lower doses and see what works for you, roughly 100mg should be a good starting point for most people. You can, of course, take more if you need to, but it’s not so easy to remove a dose. Remember, it is a drug after all.
How to Identify Wild Lettuce
As the name suggests, Wild Lettuce is a relative of the common lettuce we add to our sandwiches.
If left unrestrained and in great growing conditions, the plant can reach the lofty height of 80 inches, which is worth knowing, this plant can be a beast!
Generally speaking, the plant is quite stout in appearance, with leaves that are tinged with purple. The wide oval leaves have a distinctive jagged edge which is difficult to miss.
You’re most likely to catch the plant flowering in late summer, between July and September. Its flowers are quite similar to dandelions, with the same vibrant yellow color.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the plant is its sap, which is milky and if you rub it between your fingers, you’ll notice how sticky it is. As with most things like this, a picture can paint a thousand words, so check out this short video which does a great job of explaining how to identify the plant.
Grow Your Own Wild Lettuce
Growing your wild lettuce is an incredibly easy task, one that requires very little skill or dedication. The plants are quite hardy and forgiving for even the most unskilled gardener. Simply buy some seeds online, there is quite a range available from Amazon, so it’s as good a place as any other.
It’s best to sow the seeds in Spring, either in pots or if you have space, in a prepared flower bed. Plant the seeds roughly 6 inches apart and cover lightly with soil. Provide a light sprinkling of water and keep them moist until the plants are well established. While they are growing to make sure they never completely dry out, make sure they have plenty of Sunlight, and allow them to do their thing, it takes time to grow.
Where to buy Wild Lettuce Online
There are more than a few online retailers selling Wild Lettuce in its various forms, take a look and see which ones take your fancy, or take a look here.
Wild Lettuce in a Survival Situation
As Wild lettuce is so wildly available and offers a range of benefits, most noticeably its pain relief, it can be used in a variety of survival situations.
If the worst came to the worst and the society devolved into a largely lawless world, having a stockpile of wild lettuce might give you an edge over everyone else. Being able to trade an effective pain reliever without having to rely on complicated manufacturing procedures is a massive bonus, you might just find your stockpile of Wild Lettuce is very much sought after putting you into a strong position for trading other essential items such as food and shelter.
Conclusion
Humans have widely used naturally occurring medicines for thousands of years. Efficiently treating pain with a very simple plant is invaluable, and worth knowing about.
Wild opium lettuce is a remarkable example of how a naturally occurring medicine is very much still relevant today. It’s widely available, cheap and easy to grow, and has a range of health benefits, it is truly a wonder plant
