Lettuce and opium

[Guest guest]

LETTUCE. The extract of the common garden Lettuce produces nearly the same effects as Opium. It possesses the power of allaying pain and producing sleep. As a stimulant it does not act so powerful as the opium produced from the Poppy, but has a tendency to repress the inordinate heat of the system, and to diminish the too frequent action of the heart, without producing those unpleasant effects which sometimes follow the use of Opium, by persons whose constitutions cannot bear the stimulus produced by the latter. The extract of Lettuce is obtained as follows: Take the leaves and stalks of either kind of garden Lettuce, when the plants are nearly ready to flower, bruise them well in a mortar and put them in a bag made of flax or hemp, then press them until they yield their milky juice--this juice is to be evaporated in flat vessels in the sun, or by placing them in boiling water, until reduced to the consistence of

thick molasses, when it is to be bottled for use.

 

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[Guest guest]

Hey Suzanne,

Since this doesn't sound like modern English, did you copy it from

somewhere, and if so, would you mind telling where? I personally know

of one fellow who makes his laudanum from common lettuce, and swears by

it, but the wild variety I cited is more potent. Either one could

funtion in the capacity you cite, as could celery. Carrots also have

the ability if I am not mistaken....

 

Dennis

 

 

Suzanne wrote:

 

> LETTUCE.

> The extract of the common garden Lettuce produces nearly the same

> effects as Opium. It possesses the power of allaying pain and producing

> sleep. As a stimulant it does not act so powerful as the opium produced

> from the Poppy, but has a tendency to repress the inordinate heat of

> the system, and to diminish the too frequent action of the heart, without

> producing those unpleasant effects which sometimes follow the use of

> Opium, by persons whose constitutions cannot bear the stimulus

> produced by

> the latter. The extract of Lettuce is obtained as follows: Take the

> leaves

> and stalks of either kind of garden Lettuce, when the plants are nearly

> ready to flower, bruise them well in a mortar and put them in a bag made

> of flax or hemp, then press them until they yield their milky juice--this

> juice is to be evaporated in flat vessels in the sun, or by placing them

> in boiling water, until reduced to the consistence of thick molasses,

> when

> it is to be bottled for use.

> ------