Lactuca serriola: Short Review of its Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profiles

Abstract

Lactuca serriola Linn (prickly lettuce) is a common weed in cultivated fields belong to the Asteraceae family. Its leaves are used as a vegetable, eaten raw, or cooked. The present review attempts to furnish a brief overview of pharmacognosy, traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacological activities, and the industrial applications of the Lactuca serriola (L. serriola) that will further explore its potential using the scientific process. Notarized information on pharmacognosy, traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacological activities, and industrial applications of the L. serriola was gathered from authenticated online sources, like Scopus, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Science Direct, Elsevier, PubMed, and Web of Science. Additional information was collected from traditional sources, such as, books, book chapters, journal articles, and scientific publications sourced from the college library. L. serriola has a conventional use in the treatment of headache, insomnia, nervousness, hypertension, palpitation, fever, etc. It has been found in a recent finding that L. serriola contains active components that have biological functions in disease control. They display diverse pharmacological activities, including sedative, hypnotic, diuretic, antioxidant, anesthetic, antispasmodic, anticancer, antibacterial, a bronchodilator, and vasorelaxant. The interest was due to its availability and cost-effectiveness, drawing the attention of many researchers screening for various bioactive substances.