Let Lettuce Help You Sleep

Having trouble falling off to sleep? Lettuce might do the trick. Food expert Anne McIntyre says the fresh-cut stem of lettuce is the basis of an old English recipe for curing insomnia.

Specifically, it's the white latex from the plant's stem -- known as lettuce opium -- that does the job, says McIntyre, author of "Simple Home Remedies for Common Ailments" (Gaia Books). She says the substance in the plant's stem "looks and works the same way as the opium poppy."

Lettuce tea has a sedative effect, she says, and it is an excellent recipe for inducing sleep. She suggests adding a touch of mint to counteract the slight bitterness of the lettuce.

To make a pot of McIntyre's tea, simmer three or four large lettuce leaves in a half-pint of water for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add a couple of mint leaves, strain and drink before climbing into bed.

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