Lettuce and Its legend.
Article Content:
- .Basic Botanical Data of Lettuce.
- .Brief Description of Lettuce.
- .Lettuce history in ancient world.
- .Modern lettuce types class.
- .Edible Uses and Nutritional compositions.
- .Medicinal Uses Disclaimer.
- .Other reactions and Uses.
- .Research Update:Lettuce or Lactuca sativa.
Lettuce history in ancient world.
Origin: Egypt.
Evidence from Egyptian tomb paintings that lettuce was cultivated before 4,500 B.C.
Paintings of what appear to be Cos Lettuce have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to as early as 4500 BC although there is some uncertainty about their identity. The first authenticated records of cultivated lettuce date back to Greek historical records in 450 BC. In the first century AD the Romans were growing a number of different cultivars.
Derived from the weed Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce).
Prickly lettuce originally cultivated for forage and oil.
Prickly lettuce is extremely bitter.
Bitterness associated with the production of latex, the milky juice [30KB image] still found in the cultivated varieties when they flower.
Bitter latex is known to be sleep-inducing.
Romans developed broad-leaved, non-heading, non-spiny types that were resistant to early seed stalk formation, had decreased latex content, and produced larger, uniformly germinating seed.
Romans blanched their lettuce (grew them for a period in the dark before harvest) to make them less bitter.
Most lettuces are relatively low in nutrients. Modern plant breeders are developing varieties that have more vitamins and minerals, but in general, we eat lettuce for its crisp clean sweetness and crunchy texture.
It is claimed that lettuce is an excellent remedy for acid indigestion and "heartburn." The bitter, milky latex sap is a mild narcotic and sleep inducer. The early Romans ate lettuce at the end of meals to aid digestion and induce sleep. Later, with the development of lettuce varieties containing less of the bitter, soporific sap, they ate lettuce at the beginning of the meal to whet the appetite. The European prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) contains considerably more of the milky, narcotic juice and has several medicinal and herbal uses. The sap is sometimes dried and used to adulterate opium. American wild lettuce (L. canadensis), a common weed throughout much of North America, is usually too bitter to eat, but was used extensively by Native Americans as a sedative and for pain relief.
Reference:
1.Lettuce and Its legend.
Statistics
Spectrum
FAQ
Of Herbs