What distinction does the text emphasize regarding the historical comparison between wild lettuce and opium?
Answer
Comparison is based on chemical class, not comparable strength.
The historical nickname "opium lettuce" creates a common misunderstanding regarding the plant's true power. While the milky latex, lactucarium, shares structural similarities in its alkaloid content with compounds found in the opium poppy (*Papaver somniferum*), this similarity does not translate to equivalent pharmacological strength. The comparison is primarily rooted in the *chemical class*—the presence of related alkaloid structures—rather than demonstrating comparable efficacy or potency when measured against actual opium derivatives like morphine.
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