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The trendy beverage brews lettuce leaves in hot water just like tea.
In the #lettucewater videos (with 30+ million views and counting) all you have to do is grab some romaine lettuce leaves (more on the type of lettuce later) and cover it with boiling water. Let it wilt for a few minutes, drink up, and (apparently) you should be getting drowsy enough to fall asleep.
"Lettuce has a compound in it called lactucin, which has several potential health benefits," says Stephanie Nelson, RD and nutrition expert at MyFitnessPal. "One study looked at lactucin’s properties as a potential sedative in rats, leading to the belief that lactucin can help aid sleep." Nelson points out this has not been widely tested enough to definitely say that lettuce tea would help people sleep. Basically, the potential is there, but we don't have enough research to know for sure that it works.
Romaine lettuce is highest in lactucin, according to the study mentioned earlier. So if lactucin really helps you sleep, then romaine lettuce would be the best choice.
(BHG)