The Restorative

What few people know is that lettuce is a natural sedative. The white sap that flows when you cut the stem, lactucarium, was used as a calming agent long before the invention of sleeping pills. Roman doctors prescribed it in the evening to promote sleep, and Dioscorides recommended it against insomnia and pain. In this juice, lettuce brings this soothing dimension: it calms the nervous system while the beet regenerates the blood and the carrot nourishes the mucous membranes. This is an evening juice, ideal after a busy day.

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The bioactive molecules

Romaine lettuce contains lactucarium, that white soothing sap that Roman doctors prescribed against insomnia long before the invention of sleeping pills¹. The chlorophyll in lettuce is structurally almost identical to hemoglobin, only the central atom differs (magnesium instead of iron), making it a natural precursor to blood oxygenation². The beet provides iron associated with betaine and folic acid, two cofactors in red blood cell synthesis³. This is an ideal evening juice: it drains the liver AND calms the nervous system.

The iron in this formula comes from three complementary sources. The beet provides iron associated with betaine and folic acid, two cofactors that directly participate in red blood cell synthesis. Romaine lettuce provides iron accompanied by chlorophyll, this molecule structurally almost identical to hemoglobin (only the central atom differs: magnesium in chlorophyll, iron in hemoglobin). In this structural similarity we see proof that plant chlorophyll was the natural precursor to human hemoglobin. The carrot completes this with its fat-soluble beta-carotene, creating a remarkable synergy between chlorophyll and carotenoids.

Lettuce provides a calming effect through its lactucin. This juice is perfect for stressed people whose liver is congested by chronic cortisol. Drinking it in the evening promotes calm digestion and easier falling asleep. A juice that drains AND calms simultaneously.

Table of key micronutrients

Micronutrient	Main role
Organic iron	Red blood cell formation, oxygen transport
Folic acid (B9)	Erythropoiesis, cell division
Chlorophyll	Structural precursor to hemoglobin, oxygenation
Betaine	Methylation, homocysteine metabolism
Beta-carotene	Protection of bone marrow stem cells
Organic nitrates	Vasodilation, blood circulation

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Preparation with a juicer

Ingredients:

• 4 organic carrots
• 1 handful of fresh spinach
• 1 small raw beet

Always choose romaine lettuce, never iceberg. Romaine contains 5 to 6 times more minerals and chlorophyll. Roll the leaves into a bundle before passing them through the juicer.

My recommended juicer

For this recipe, I use the Hurom H330P. Cold pressing preserves the full integrity of enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients that the heat from a centrifuge would destroy.

Promo code: francoisbenavente20 for -20% on the entire Hurom site.

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To go further

Related articles

• Iron: absorption and metabolism
• Anemia: causes and solutions
• Adrenal fatigue
• Vitality and constitution

Test yourself

• Questionnaire: Iron deficiency
• Questionnaire: Vitality
• Questionnaire: Cortisol

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• The Drainer
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Go further

• All my health questionnaires
• My naturopathy shop
• Naturopathy consultation by video
• My Living Juices ebook