Folk Names: Garden Lettuce, Lattouce, Sleep Wort
Gender/Planet/Element Associations: Feminine/Moon/Water
Divine Associations: Min

Ritual Uses:

Lettuce was sacred to the god Min in ancient Egypt; it was commonly placed in tombs as an offering to him.

Uses In Folk Magic:

    Protection
  • Lettuce when grown in the garden is protective, but some say that if too many are raised, sterility will result in the household.
    Prosperity
  • Add lettuce to diets specifically and magically geared to attract wealth..
    Lust & Love
  • The god Min not withstanding, lettuce has also been eaten as a means to cool sexual desire. If you wish to fortify yourself against temptations of the flesh, eat some lettuce.
  • Plant lettuce or cress seeds in the form of someone you love. If the seeds sprout well, so too will love between you.
    General
  • Rub lettuce juice onto the forehead or eat the leaves to have no trouble falling asleep.

Sources:

  • Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1998.
  • A Kitchen Witches' Guide to Vegetables. "Kitchen Witchery". www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/4536/WiseWomansCottage/kwveggies.html. Accessed: 22 December 2001.

Let"tuce (?), n. [OE. letuce, prob. through Old French from some Late Latin derivative of L. lactuca lettuce, which, according to Varro, is fr. lac, lactis, milk, on account of the milky white juice which flows from it when it is cut: cf. F. laitue. Cf. Lacteal, Lactucic.] Bot.

A composite plant of the genus Lactuca (L. sativa), the leaves of which are used as salad. Plants of this genus yield a milky juice, from which lactucarium is obtained. The commonest wild lettuce of the United States is L. Canadensis.

Hare's lettuce, Lamb's lettuce. See under Hare, and Lamb. -- Lettuce opium. See Lactucarium. -- Sea lettuce, certain papery green seaweeds of the genus Ulva.

 

© Webster 1913.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.