Lactuca virosa
Plant · Asteraceae
Lactuca Virosa suits patients with marked nervous excitability, great restlessness, and stupefaction of the senses. There is profound coldness and numbing of the extremities alongside suffocative chest complaints. The remedy has a special role as a galactagogue and in delirium tremens with abdominal distension.
Key symptoms
- Delirium tremens with sleeplessness, coldness, and tremor
- Dull, heavy, confused, dizzy head with heat of face
- Sense of lightness and tightness affecting whole body especially chest
- Difficult, suffocative breathing from dropsy of the chest
- Incessant spasmodic cough as if chest would fly to pieces
- Increase of milk in breasts (galactagogue)
- Coldness and numbness of feet and legs
- Cramps in shin bones extending to toes and calves
- Restlessness; impossible to get to sleep
Worse (aggravation)
- Walking (lame hip down left side worse)
Better (amelioration)
- Evacuation and passing of wind (abdominal colic somewhat relieved)
Acrid Lettuce
This remedy acts principally upon the brain and circulatory system. Delirium tremens with sleeplessness, coldness, and tremor. Hydrothorax and ascites. Impotence. Sense of lightness and tightness affecting whole body, especially chest. Seems to be a true galactogogue. Marked action on extremities.
Mind
Stupefaction of sense. Great restlessness.
Head
Dull, heavy, confused, dizzy. Heat of face and headache, with general coldness. Headache, with affections of respiratory organs.
Abdomen
Sensation of weight, of fullness; borborygmi; abundant emission of wind. Colic in early morning, abdomen tense, relieved somewhat by evacuation and passing of wind.
Chest
Difficult breathing. Suffocative breathing from dropsy of the chest. Constant tickling cough. Incessant, spasmodic cough, as if chest would fly to pieces. Squeezing sensation in lower chest.
Female
Promotes catamenia. Increase of milk in breasts (Asafoet).
Sleep
Restless; impossible to get to sleep. Deep, comatose sleep.
Extremities
Lame hip down left side; worse walking. Coldness and numbness of feet and legs. Tremor of hands and arms. Cramps in shin bones, extending to toes and side of leg involving calves.
Relationship
Antidotes: Acet ac; Coff.
Compare: Nabalus-Prenanthes Serpentaria-Rattlesnake root-White lettuce, similar to Lactuca, (chronic diarrhœa, worse after eating, nights and towards morning. Pain in abdomen and rectum; emaciation. Constipation and somnolence; susceptible to aura of others. Dyspepsia, with acid burning eructation. Craving for acid food. Leucorrhœa with throbbing in uterus); Lach; Kali carb; Spiranthes (galactagogue).
Dose
Tincture.
Lactuca virosa. Poisonous Lettuce. Opium Lettuce. Also, Lactuca sativa. Garden Lettuce. N. O. Compositæ (Genus, Cicoraceæ). Tincture of fresh flowering plant (Specimens of both L. vir. and L. sat. might be included in the tincture. Tincture of impissated juice," Lactucarium" or Lettuce Opium. (The symptoms in the Schema marked "(s)" were produced by Paris Lacucarium prepared from Lactuca sativa. American Lactucarium is prepared from L. elongata.)
Clinical
Angina pectoris. Anus, affections of. Ascites. Asthma. Constipation. Cough. Diarrhœa. Globus hystericus. Gonorrhœa. Heartburn. Hysteria. Lactation. Levitation. Liver, affections of. Muscæ volitantes. Noises in ears. Pylorus, pain in. Sleep, excessive. Smell, illusions of. Spinal cord, pains in. Spleen, affections of. Whooping-cough. Yawning.
Phatak's chapter on Lactuca virosa is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
