Lactucarius

When dried, Lactuca virosa juice changes color from white (notched leaf in the upper left) to yellow-brown (lower right)

Lactucaria ( lat. Lactukārium ) - dried milk juice ( latex ), secreted by plants of the genus Latuc of the family Asters . A fresh slice of such a plant exudes milky juice, which turns into resinous yellowish-brown pieces that have a bitter taste and an unpleasant odor.

Lactucaria contains up to 66% of bitter substances ( lactucerin , lactucin , lactuctin ), as well as traces of alkaloids ^[1] . It is partially soluble in hot water and other organic solvents.

The painkillers and sleeping pills of plant juice have long been known to man. As such, it was used in Ancient Egypt , then since 1799 in US medicine, where it was used for medicinal purposes as a light sleeping pill , pain medication . In the XIX century, its properties were actively studied in the laboratories of the Russian Empire , where it was actually used as a substitute for opium . In large doses, lactucaria is toxic to humans, but domestic geese enjoy it with pleasure.