A New TikTok Trend Has Gen Z Drinking Hot Lettuce Water and We're Confused

It’s supposed to help you sleep.

If your sleeping habits are not your bestie every night, you’ll wanna stick around for this one ‘cos TikTokers are brewing themselves a concoction of hot water and lettuce to help them catch their z’s.

Insomnia can be a real cow, which is why it seems that peeps online will do anything to get a good night’s rest.

On Monday, TikToker @shapla_11 posted a video of her vlogging her experience trying the bevvie, and lo and behold sis was knocked out.

The process is pretty simple: all you gotta do is boil some hot water, chuck in some washed lettuce and get it in ya. It’s basically a sleepy time tea minus the price and grassy flavour.

In the OG video, @shapla_11 also added peppermint tea in fear of the drink tasting nasty but later advised against doing this in the comments because peppermint can make you feel more alert.

“Btw guys don’t use peppermint—apparently it actually keeps you awake so for the best results use chamomile tea or avoid adding any other tea,” she wrote.

Idk about you guys but even after trying this, I’m worried that unless you’re buying organic lettuce, we could just be drinking pesticide soup, and that doesn’t sit quite right with me.

In classic TikTok fashion, the comments are a hoot and a half.

One commenter credited their burger sleepies to the lettuce, saying, “No wonder after I eat a triple meat burger I feel so sleepy, the lettuce gets warm in between the meats.”

Oh yeah it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the food coma that ensues from eating a big boi burg like that. No waaaay.

“Can’t believe you didn’t say ‘lettuce give it a try,’” wrote another commenter.

Okay, so while a bunch of people on the internet guzzling wilted lettuce juice sounds hilarious, the science is actually on their side for once.

According to a study by the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology, lettuce actually contains a high level of a substance called lactucarium which is proven to make you feel relaxed and sleepy. It can even help relieve some pain!

People have apparently been using lettuce water and lettuce seed oil for ages.

So, because this has science backing it and it’s not just an internet trend, I decided to give it a try. Y’know, some real investigative journalism.

Personally, I only had apple and ginger tea on hand (don’t stress it was caffeine free!), so I used that to prevent the ‘tea’ tasting like river water and ngl, it was really pleasant.

It’s super cold here in Australia right now being the start of winter, so a warm cup of refreshing, fruity tea went down super nice.

So, my verdict? Well, it definitely made me kinda drowsy but I wasn’t out for the count like our bestie @shapla_11.

I was super tired by about 11pm (an hour and a half after I finished my cup) but I’m ngl, that’s the time I usually go to sleep, so I reckon it made me slightly drowsier, but it wasn’t anything mind-blowing.

Keep in mind, I only steeped my lettuce water for about five-ish minutes so it may not have been long enough. In a follow up video overnight, @shapla_11 explains that she let hers soak for about 15 minutes, so maybe take that advice if you’re gonna give this a go.