Wild Lettuce and Dogwood Tincture
A tincture in organic alcohol made from two plants in equal parts: the bitter aerial herb of wild lettuce and the bark of the flowering dogwood tree - the American dogwood, Cornus florida, and not the unrelated Jamaican dogwood. Each is sold separately as a single extract. This is a traditional herbal preparation for adults only: it causes drowsiness and the serving on the label is a limit, so please read the safety information below before use.
- Wild lettuce, herb - Lactuca virosa herb (Asteraceae)
- Dogwood, bark - Cornus florida bark (Cornaceae) - flowering / American dogwood
- Extract type: Alcohol tincture. Other ingredients: organic alcohol, vegetable glycerin, crystal clear purified water
- Origin: Wild lettuce from Albania, dogwood bark from the USA; responsibly sourced. Gluten free. Made in the USA.
The two plants
- Wild lettuce - Lactuca virosa grows head-high along European field edges, with prickly leaves and a white latex that turns bitter and brown as it dries. That latex, sold by nineteenth-century apothecaries as lactucarium, earned the plant the nickname opium lettuce; the name is misleading, because the plant holds no opium and no opioid compounds, only bitter sesquiterpene lactones such as lactucin.
- Flowering dogwood - Cornus florida is the small understory tree of the eastern American woodlands whose four white bracts open before the leaves each spring. Its grey, checkered bark was gathered by early settlers and is the part used here; it is tannin-rich and astringent. The red autumn berries are not used and should not be eaten. This is an entirely different tree from Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia piscipula), a Caribbean legume with a hazardous chemistry that we offer only for external use.
The tincture
Organic alcohol with a little vegetable glycerin and water carries both the lactones of wild lettuce and the tannins of dogwood bark and keeps them shelf-stable for years at room temperature. The liquid is dark, bitter and astringent; most people take the drops in a splash of water or juice. A full serving of 20 to 30 drops is about 1 ml, so the alcohol per serving is small.
Directions
Shake well. Add the number of drops printed on the label to a little water or juice and drink, no more often than the label states. Never exceed the label serving. Take it apart from meals and iron supplements, and use it for short periods only. Do not drive or operate machinery afterwards. Store cool and dark with the cap tight.
Related products
The same pair without alcohol: Wild Lettuce and Dogwood Alcohol-Free Drops. Wild lettuce is also blended with passionflower in Wild Lettuce and Passionflower Tincture and with valerian in Wild Lettuce and Valerian Tincture.
Important safety information - please read before use
Adults only. Wild lettuce is sedating and harmful in excess; dogwood bark is tannin-rich. Please read before use.
- Drowsiness: wild lettuce causes drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery after taking it, and do not combine with alcohol, sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, sedative antihistamines or other products that slow the nervous system.
- Serving limit: wild lettuce in large amounts has caused dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, restlessness, blurred vision and difficulty urinating. Never exceed the label serving; if any of these occur, stop and seek medical help.
- Not an opiate: wild lettuce contains no opioid compounds and is not a painkiller. Do not use it in place of prescribed medicines.
- Pregnancy / nursing: do not use.
- Tannins: dogwood bark can upset the stomach in large amounts and reduces the absorption of iron and other minerals. Take it apart from meals and supplements, and do not use it continuously for more than a few weeks.
- Blood sugar: dogwood may lower it. Use caution with diabetes medication.
- Allergies: wild lettuce is a daisy-family (Asteraceae) plant. Avoid if you are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums or daisies.
- Contains alcohol. If you have a medical condition or take medication, consult a qualified healthcare practitioner before use. Do not use it to self-treat any medical condition - see a qualified doctor instead. Keep out of reach of children.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
| Name | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lactuca Virosa Cornus Florida Blend | Botanical Name | Composition binomials |
| Wild Lettuce and Dogwood | Commercial Name | Formula name (lead) |
| Wild Lettuce Dogwood Tincture | Commercial Name | Alcohol-extract commercial name |
| Wild Lettuce Dogwood Drops | Commercial Name | Alcohol-free commercial name |
| Wild Lettuce and American Dogwood | Commercial Name | Disambiguation (Cornus florida, not Jamaican dogwood) |
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