Wild Lettuce for Pain Relief

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I thought everyone would get a kick out of knowing what wild lettuce is actually used for in the herbal world. :D

An androgen is a natural steroid hormone in our bodies. There are high levels of it in our blood when we are developing in our teenage years. Androgen's promote bone growth, they stimulate the sex drive and the immune system.

Androgen's are difficult for the liver to break down so if our body produces too many androgen's many problems occur. High levels do not automatically mean a successful sex life. Sexual frustration leads to depression, loneliness and lethargy.

When our body chemistry gets out of balance because the liver is overloaded other common problems occur, the first is skin eruptions and other skin issues.

You folks do realize I just described a “Lazy, Moody teenager with Acne”?
:LOL:

Yes, there is a herbal cure for a lazy, moody teenager with acne! It’s called wild lettuce! Poke sallet is another good cure for the lazy and moody part. Poke kick starts the liver into high gear so it processes out the androgens more quickly...

There is another common problem caused by high androgen levels in young women. It causes polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility. I read about a case where the young woman in question got pregnant within 5 days of using wild lettuce. Yes, wild lettuce is useful with infertility caused by ovarian cysts in young women.

Yes it sounds like Peanut really knows her herbs! I am excited to find an herbalist...
This is my first year growing medicinal herbs... including Echinacea Angustifolia, Sida Cordifolia, Ephedra, etc...) .

Sonya, first, I’m a he not a she… Second, I’m not an herbalist, I’m a wildcrafter. For a few herbalists I hunt wild plants not sold by the big herb companies. Some herbalists live in cities with no access to fresh herbs, I provide.

Third, if you live in a semi-rural area of GA you are already surrounded by 3 species of Sida. Sida rhombifolia, acuta and spinosa. They grow around every barn and shed in the south… A potent antibiotic and hemotoxin blocker. I used Sida when my dog was bitten by a copper head, amazing results. Brown recluse and Black widow spider venom is hemotoxic. The first time I used a plant for medicine was when I was bitten by a Brown recluse spider. No, it wasn’t Sida, yet another plant good for such things. ;) It was early in the year and sida hadn't come up yet... but Plantago virginica or Virginia Plantain, a native species, was everywhere.
 
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Third, if you live in a semi-rural area of GA you are already surrounded by 3 species of Sida. Sida rhombifolia, acuta and spinosa. They grow around every barn and shed in the south… A potent antibiotic and hemotoxin blocker. I used Sida when my dog was bitten by a copper head, amazing results. Brown recluse and Black widow spider venom is hemotoxic. The first time I used a plant for medicine was when I was bitten by a Brown recluse spider. No, it wasn’t Sida, yet another plant good for such things. ;) It was early in the year and sida hadn't come up yet... but Plantago virginica or Virginia Plantain, a native species, was everywhere.

I ordered seeds for Sida Cordifolia because I read the Indian strains have been selectively bred for medicinal value (the seller said the seeds were imported from India within the last few years). There is probably some truth to it since it has been used heavily in India for something like 2 thousand plus years. Am growing it in a pot as it is highly invasive and I don't want to risk it getting loose, will probably move the plant indoors and under lights when it starts to seed.

I am asthmatic and want it for its ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine content. The ephedrine content is fairly low but it can be harvested/tinctured in just 8-9 months. Also tried to germinate Ephedra Sinica however only one seed germinated (despite trying all the tricks) and it takes 2-3 years before that can be harvested anyway. It is now illegal to sell either herb in the US, so buying seeds and growing it myself is the only option (and that is still legal).
 
Also good to know it is effective against snakebites. Two of my dogs were tagged by a baby timber rattler summer before last, I keep prednisone and antihistamines on hand as an emergency treatment (gave it to one dog last time and the e-vet said that treatment was sufficient) but will remember Sida can help too (though I will probably still stick with the prednisone as venomous snake bites freak me out).
 
Nature's morphine? LOL. Poppies are nature's morphine.

I do want to try growing wild lettuce though. I read some clinical studies and they say it is about as effective as ibuprofen.

And it is also a sedative, apparently people in it's native region (Iran?) occasionally overdose on it because some rural folks eat it as a vegetable without realizing too much will cause them to go unconscious for a day or two and end up in the hospital. Fortunately they typically recover with no ill effects.

You shouldn't have to worry about an overdose, the stuff tastes so nasty you wouldn't be able eat enough of it to harm yourself.. lol
 
You can harm yourself with it if properly prepared... The difference is between idiots reading crap they read off the internet... and people who have studied plant medicine... people who have dedicated years of their life to really healing people. Plants are the most powerful meds on our good earth.
 
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