5 minute freewrite 2771 prompt a wide ranging ambition

myjob in Freewriters • 2 months ago

This is my post for #freewriters 2771 prompt a wide ranging ambition hosted by @mariannewest

This morning, I decided to take a walk out on the preserve in search of wild lettuce to use for pain relief. It has been a long time since I have been out there and I did not like how the trail is now overgrown, but there was a wide ranging ambition growing in me to find it. With every step, rattlesnake came to mind, but that did not stop me, I was on a mission.

I saw several plants that I do not know what they are, so I took pictures, and when I got home, I used Google Lens to try and identify them. It gives too many variations. I think this might be Dahoon Holly, BUT!! I am not sure. The app says anything from inkberry to scrub olive, and many more. What good are these apps?

I thought this one might be wax myrtle, but the app never mentioned it. The app says Arctostaphylos Hookeri, whatever that is, I do not believe it.

I got excited when I saw these plants, could they be young wild lettuce?

Under the leaf, there is a row of hairs like wild lettuce has. This is the only place I saw this plant, and there are 15 to 20 of them in a small area. After taking pictures of it, I did not look any further. I wanted to get home and look it up.
I was so disappointed with the app, it said Elephantopus Elatus, there was no mention of any of the wild lettuce varieties, so I do not know what it really is.

Later while pulling weeds from the areca palms, I find this. It has to be one of the wild lettuce varieties.

It has spiky hairs under the leaf, but also has them on the outer edge of the leaf. I am thinking it must be what they call prickly lettuce, but nope the plant app says Lactuca Floridana, which is a type of wild lettuce, but not as strong of a pain killer. Or it could be Florida Blue Lettuce. I do not know which. If it is prickly lettuce, which is Lactuca serriola, it is used for pain. Lactuca virosa is the best.

I copied this photo from https://www.wildfooduk.com/wild-plants/wild-lettuce/ all other photos are mine
It looks like the one I found in the areca palm pot. This is what is says about it. A very common plant that will grow almost anywhere where it get lots of sun and little competition from other plants. It is very similar in look and medicinal effects to Wild Lettuce, Lactuca virosa.

Hedgerow Type
Common Names: Wild Lettuce, Opium Lettuce
Scientific Name Lactuca serriola

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2 months ago in Freewriters by myjob

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owasco 2 months ago

I once harvested a bunch of what I thought was opium lettuce, collected and boiled down the sap, and it turned out to have been the wrong variety. Never did find the correct one, which I believe is supposed to have a hollow stem. Try homeopathy. What are your pain symptoms? I could make some suggestions for remedies that you could try. I have found homeopathy very helpful for pain management.

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myjob last month

What I have read about the wild lettuce is that when you break a leaf off or cut the stem, it will bleed a white liquid. Also, at the point where the leaf comes off the plant, it will be in a V shape, if it is rounded, it is not wild lettuce. Lactuca Virosa is the best, and I found out it does not grow wild in Florida.
I have sow thistle in my yard, it has a hollow stem. I found one plant that I think is a type of wild lettuce, but it is not as potent, called Lactuca Floridana. It is small, I will know more when it gets bigger. What I read is that it can be made into a painkiller. I am going to try to find someone selling seeds for the good kind.

30 years ago, I tore three of my lower discs, L1, L2, and L4, they are torn from the inside to the outside. My doctor has done radio frequency ablation 3 times to close the tears, but I keep ripping them back open because I refuse to quit working. Now I also have pain in my right hand, I have lost the cartilage in it, and they want to take out 3 bones and replace them with a plate.

I would love to try your remedies.

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commentrewarder last month (edited)

@myjob, I paid out 0.077 HIVE and 0.015 HBD to reward 1 comments in this discussion thread.

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