The Latest TikTok Fad Is To Drink “Lettuce Tea” To Help You Sleep
Could the compounds found in lettuce really help you sleep?
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A recent TikTok trend has people willingly raiding the vegetable aisle for lettuce… to put into hot water to drink. The drink, simply called “lettuce tea”, is exactly what it sounds like: fresh lettuce steeped in hot water, which is then consumed before bed.
The drink is said to help promote better sleep: those who drink it claim to fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer, allowing them to wake up deeply refreshed.
How To Make Lettuce Tea
It may sound ridiculous, but multitudes of TikTok users have claimed that it works. Here what you do:
- Get fresh lettuce and give it a thorough rinse. Apparently red romaine lettuce works best.
- Boil water.
- Steep the lettuce in hot water until the lettuce turns bright greeen and right before it wilts.
- Remove the lettuce and let cool.
- Drink the water.
@deliciousaus Tried it? Lettuce know. ##lettuce ##tea ##lettucetea ##tearecipe ##foodie ##foodontiktok ##tiktokfood ##tiktokfoodie
♬ Alright by supergrass – Hayden
The lettuce tea will kind of taste like raw vegetable water, so some may find it tolerable while others do not.
TikTok users claim that within an hour, they begin to get drowsy and experience a very deep, long sleep after.
Does the ‘hack’ hold any water?
Many claim that it’s a “traditional remedy” that modern science has yet to discover. This may be true as lettuce seed oil has traditionally been regarded as a sleep alternative in Korea.
Most people cite (if they bother to do so at all) a research paper which investigates the sleep-inducing effects of varieties of lettuce, which was conducted in Korea. The paper states that lactucin and lactucopicrin, compounds that can be found in lettuce, do indeed help improve sleep scores.
(Credit: Envato)
However, further examination found that the study might be taken out of context in regards to lettuce tea.
The study was conducted on mice, not humans. Additionally, the mice were not fed the actual vegetables. Instead, the lactucin and lactucopicrin compounds were extracted from the lettuce and concentrated before being fed to the mice, who were already on pentobarbital to put them to sleep.
Still, the results of the study did suggest that the “sleep compounds” in lettuce does indeed extended the length of sleep as well as how deep the sleep was. However, the dosage needed for humans to feel its effects is certainly not sufficient by just soaking a handful of lettuce leaves in hot water.
So why are people swearing by lettuce tea?
It is likely that the warm tea before bedtime acts as a placebo to calm the body and promote sleep, and the small amounts of lactucin and lactucopicrin may have had just a minimal hand in aiding sleep. The lettuce water may also help to hydrate your body after a long day.
(Credit: Freepik)
That’s not to say that it’s no good– because anything that can help you sleep is a good thing, especially for the many urbanites plagued with difficulty sleeping.
But if you find the taste of hot lettuce water too strange, you will probably be able to substitute it with more palatable teas such as chamomile or lavender and achieve the same– if not better– result.
Have you tried it? Share your thoughts with us on TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
