Wild lettuce is one of those “weed” herbs that is fairly common throughout North America. Its cultivation origins are from Southern Europe. The plant has a long history of use as a nervine and a bitter and, as such, is grown in a variety of places in Europe to capture the beneficial constituents in its latex, leaves, and seeds. Wild lettuce has become naturalized in the United States, where it is now regularly wildharvested. As the name suggests, wild lettuce is a woodland cousin of our common salad lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Lactuca spp. are members of the sunflower (Asteraceae) family. ...