Are bitter lettuce and bitter greens the same vegetable?

Bitter lettuce is not bitter greens. Bitter lettuce, also known as multi-headed lettuce and multi-headed bitter lettuce, is an annual herbaceous plant, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. Bitter greens, on the other hand, are the tender leaves of the aster family plant Ixeris denticulata, a perennial herbaceous plant that is both medicinal and edible.

1. Details about bitter lettuce

1. Growing environment

Bitter lettuce prefers a warm and humid climate, is both cold-tolerant and heat-resistant, and mostly grows at altitudes of 300-2200 m on mountain slopes at forest edges, in shrubland, in grassland, and beside fields and roads.

2. Value

The whole plant of bitter lettuce is used as medicine and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, removing putrefaction and discharging pus, and stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration; it can treat sores, nameless swellings and toxicosis, uterine bleeding, and other conditions. Its tender stems and leaves can be used as feed for chickens and ducks; the whole plant can be used as pig feed.

3. Planting time

The planting time for bitter lettuce is generally from the end of February to the end of May, and it can be sown when the temperature is around 10°C. Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked in water. The soaking water temperature should be around 40 to 45°, and after soaking for two hours they can be taken out and then dried in the sun. Planting this way can greatly increase its germination rate and seedling survival rate.

2. Details about bitter greens

1. Distribution

Bitter greens are widely distributed. Apart from Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hainan Island in Guangdong, they are found throughout the country. They often grow at altitudes of (50-)400-2100(-2600) m under mountain forests, at forest edges, in shrubland, and in grassy areas beside roads and field ridges. They are distributed in the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.

2. Value

(1) Edible: prevents and treats anemia, relieves summer heat and promotes health, clears heat and detoxifies, kills bacteria and reduces inflammation, and prevents and treats cancer, among other effects.

(2) Medicinal: bitter hemp greens have a clear effect on diabetic patients. The bitter greens tea project is a new trend in future agriculture, well combining agriculture with commerce. It allows farmers to keep pace with the times and promotes sustainable, green, new ecological production.