Lettuce for insomnia and constipation

Monday, 20 September 2010 00:00

September 19, 1930. Do you suffer from insomnia or constipation? Try lettuce, advises Dr. Frank McCoy in his syndicated medical column. McCoy was not a medical doctor, but a dietician who wrote about food and health matters. From the Vancouver Sun.

Many people who are troubled with an inability to sleep have found that by eating a head of lettuce before going to bed they are able to fall into a refreshing, normal sleep. This is not a new discovery, for Galen, the Great Grecian physician [circa AD 120-217], said he had not found a better remedy than lettuce for wakeful patients. Lettuce has long been known to have a mid soporific effect which produces sleepiness. This soporific effect in lettuce is caused by two substances, lactucarium and hyoscyamine. These substances are only contained in lettuce in small quantities, and if the lettuce is taken with an ordinary meal, no effect is noticed, but if a large supply of lettuce is taken by itself, the hypnotic effect of these chemicals will be manifest in a drowsiness shortly after the meal of lettuce.

Many people consider that lettuce is a luxury and not a food, but science has recently found that is very rich in the important life-sustaining vitamins, and one head of lettuce a day will furnish all of the vitamins that the body requires.

Lettuce also contains a large quantity of organic alkaline-forming minerals which form a vital part of the nuclei of the nerve, blood and bone-building cells. Lettuce contains iron, calcium and potash in large quantities. For this reason, lettuce is a splendid food for neutralizing acidosis.

Lettuce also has the advantage of supplying to the intestines a soft, bulky cellulose, which has the effect of offsetting constipation without irritating the intestines. You should remember to use this salad vegetable at least once a day.