How do you make wild lettuce tincture at home?
Harvest at the pre-flowering bolting stage, macerate in high-proof alcohol for 4-8 weeks, then strain.
The short answer
Harvest fresh leaves and stems at the bolting stage, before flowering, when latex content is highest. Chop the plant material to increase surface area, cover with high-proof alcohol (95% ethanol) at roughly a 1:2 plant-to-alcohol ratio, and seal in a jar to macerate in a cool, dark place for 4 to 8 weeks, shaking periodically. Strain through cheesecloth, pressing out the remaining liquid, and store in a dark glass bottle with a dropper. Using fresh rather than dried plant material helps preserve some of the more volatile compounds.