Skunk lettuce?

[Beer Monster]

A quick question for the forum. What is skunk lettuce?

A friend of mine met someone in the woods whilst out for a walk the other day. He noticed that the guy had been collecting some plants and he enquired what they were, the gentleman said he was harvesting skunk lettuce? He then looked quite nervous (not sure why?!?) and quickly informed him that he had the land owners permission to do so (which he had as I checked later ....... the landowner is a friend!). Neither I, my friend or the landowner had any idea what skunk lettuce is? Any ideas?

P.S. forgot to say that this was on the west of Scotland and not in the Edinburgh area ...... and anyone asks apparently the plant the guy was collecting didn't look like that other well known (illegal) herb with skunk as a nick name !

 

[Adi]

I think lettice is a nick name for a wild lettice, you have a PM.

 

[Tadpole]

A quick question for the forum. What is skunk lettuce?

A friend of mine met someone in the woods whilst out for a walk the other day. He noticed that the guy had been collecting some plants and he enquired what they were, the gentleman said he was harvesting skunk lettuce? He then looked quite nervous (not sure why?!?) and quickly informed him that he had the land owners permission to do so (which he had as I checked later ....... the landowner is a friend!). Neither I, my friend or the landowner had any idea what skunk lettuce is? Any ideas?

P.S. forgot to say that this was on the west of Scotland and not in the Edinburgh area ...... and anyone asks apparently the plant the guy was collecting didn't look like that other well known (illegal) herb with skunk as a nick name !

It might be Lactuca virosa or wild lettuce or “skunk lettuce” a herb the Victorians used in answer to opium. When opium was banned in the UK the Victorians found an alternative in this plant. The plant is rich in a milky sap the sap contains 'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties althought called wild it's widly cultivated in Austria,France, Germany and Scotland

 

[Adi]

ok i have not pmed you because your pm account is full.

but it is as Tadole has said, opium lettuce

 

[Beer Monster]

ok i have not pmed you because your pm account is full.

but it is as Tadole has said, opium lettuce

Cheers guys I thought thats what it might be. I looked it up on the online "A modern Herbal" but couldn't see skunk lettuce as one of is its common names.

But with names such as "Strong-scented Lettuce" and "acrid lettuce" I should have put 2 and 2 together! Thanks for the help.

P.S. I think I better clear out my PM account .... cheers .

 

[Chopper]

PHEW!!...I wondered what I was going to find when I opened this thread