When the Flopsy bunnies raided Mr MacGregor’s lettuce patch, they were so overcome with the soporific effects that they fell asleep and didn’t even know that Farmer MacGregor had dropped them into his sack. Some years earlier, Peter Rabbit had almost been caught for a similar crime, barely escaping with his life. He was so jittery that his mother had put him to bed with a cup of chamomile tea.
Unwittingly, the bunnies had imbibed large quantities of lettuce opium (lactucarium) which has sedative and sleep inducing properties, while Peter’s bedtime drink would have been Roman (not German) chamomile tea.
It is the white milky sap which contains the lactucarium, and has been used since Roman times to calm nerves and promote sleep. The sap acts on our GABA receptors in a similar way to benzodiazepines but of course, is much milder and very safe.
If you struggle with sleep, why not try a lettuce sandwich at bedtime with a cup of chamomile tea. If that doesn’t work, do give me a call, as there are lots of lovely calming herbs to send you to slumber.