Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses:

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked [2-3]. The prickles are usually weak enough on young foliage to cause little difficulty. Older leaves become tougher and more bitter, so they are better boiled. The plant has no significant history as a seed food [2-3]. Edibility Rating: 3/5. Louisiana lettuce receives an edibility rating of 3/5. It provides a useful leafy vegetable and has documented Indigenous food use, but scarcity in much of the Southwest and increasing bitterness with age limit its value [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Culinary Use: Tender leaves have a recognizable lettuce flavor accompanied by moderate bitterness. Young foliage may be chopped into salads when mild. Boiling softens both the leaves and weak prickles and removes much of the bitterness. Discard the first cooking water when mature foliage is particularly strong [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Basal rosettes develop during spring or may overwinter. The best leaves occur before bolting. Flowering usually takes place from June through September. Seed matures through late summer and autumn [2-3]. Safety & Cautions: The foliage is edible but increasingly bitter with maturity. Concentrated milky sap is not recommended as food. Sunflower-family allergies are possible. Gather only from unsprayed, uncontaminated habitats [2-3]. Harvest & Processing: Harvest young leaves before flowering. Wash carefully and remove coarse midribs if necessary. Cook older foliage until tender. Leave enough basal growth to allow wild plants to recover [2-3]. Traditional Indigenous Uses: The Goshute of western Utah and eastern Nevada ate Louisiana lettuce. They gathered the leaves as seasonal greens, probably early when bitterness and prickliness were least pronounced. Its mountain and prairie distribution made it a local rather than universal food resource [2-3]. Nutritional Value: Detailed nutrient values are unavailable, but the leaves likely resemble other wild lettuces nutritionally, supplying fibre, carotenoids, folate and minerals with relatively few calories. Young leaves - raw or cooked[85, 257].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


Although we have seen no specific reports for this species, most if not all members of the genus have a milky sap that contains the substance 'lactucarium' and can probably be used as the report below details[K]. The whole plant is rich in a milky sap that flows freely from any wounds. This hardens and dries when in contact with the air[4]. The sap contains 'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties[9, 21, 46, 165, 192, 213, 238]. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but without its tendency to cause digestive upsets[4], nor is it addictive[7]. It is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses, hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain etc[238]. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most concentrated when the plant comes into flower[238]. It is collected commercially by cutting the heads of the plants and scraping the juice into china vessels several times a day until the plant is exhausted[4]. An infusion of the fresh or dried flowering plant can also be used[9]. The plant should be used with caution, and never without the supervision of a skilled practitioner. Even normal doses can cause drowsiness whilst excess causes restlessness[238] and overdoses can cause death through cardiac paralysis[7, 9]. Some physicians believe that any effects of this medicine are caused by the mind of the patient rather than by the medicine[213]. The sap has also been applied externally in the treatment of warts[222].

Wildlife & Ecology: Foliage provides food for herbivorous insects and grazing animals. Seeds support small birds. The plant contributes to prairie and open woodland diversity.

Special Uses