Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is a plant belonging to the compositae family of plants. Lettuce possesses a number of medicinal properties and that may relate to the phytochemicals it contains. Lettuce is an important source of nutrients and is perhaps best known for its high content of vitamin K. However other phytochemicals within the tissues of lettuce include flavonoids and polyphenols which may act as antioxidants. Isolation of specific compounds has revealed that lettuce also contains 15-oxalyl and 8-sulfate conjugates of guaianolide sesquiterpene lactones, lactucin, deoxylactucin, and lactucopicrin. The central nervous system effects of lettuce include a sedative and anticonvulsant action, and there may also be anxiolytic effects associated with the phytochemicals in lettuce. For example in one study, researchers administered lettuce extracts to rats via injection, and this was significantly effective at reducing the anxious behaviour of the rats. Lettuce extracts may therefore have particular anti-anxiety effects.
Extracts of lettuce are anti-inflammatory in nature and this may explain their health benefits.
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