What is Wild Lettuce (serriola) c/s Oregon?

This is cut and sifted Lactuca serriola, Prickly Wild Lettuce, grown in Oregon near our shop as part of our Locally Grown line. It is the sister species to our standard Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa): both sit in the lettuce genus and share the same bitter, milky character, but they are distinct species. Serriola is the more widely distributed of the two and is the closest wild relative of cultivated garden lettuce.

About the plant

Like the rest of its genus, Prickly Wild Lettuce produces a bitter milky latex, which is the source of the old "lettuce opium" nickname the wild lettuces share, despite containing no opiate alkaloids at all. It is also called Compass Plant for the way its leaves tend to align edge-on to the sun. The bitter constituents are sesquiterpene lactones such as lactucin and lactucopicrin.

Related herbs

• Wild Lettuce (virosa) — the Oregon-grown sister species, Lactuca virosa.
• Wild Lettuce — our standard cut and sifted offering.

Wild Lettuce (serriola) c/s Oregon: form & sizes

We carry Wild Lettuce (serriola) c/s Oregon as cut and sifted dried herb, sold by weight in sizes from 1 oz to 1 lb. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store Wild Lettuce (serriola) c/s Oregon in an airtight container, away from heat, light, and humidity, to preserve its color and aroma.

Wild Lettuce (serriola) c/s Oregon at a glance

Botanical name

Lactuca serriola

Family

Asteraceae

Native region

Europe and Asia, now widely naturalized

Plant part

aerial parts

Also known as

Prickly Wild Lettuce, Compass Plant

Sourcing

Oregon-grown (Pacific Northwest), part of our Locally Grown line

Studied compounds

Sesquiterpene lactones (lactucin, lactucopicrin)

Form

cut and sifted dried herb

Sizes

1 oz to 1 lb