- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Tropical and subtropical Asia, from India to China and northern Australia. Nelumbo nucifera
- Sanskrit
- Kamal
- Other names
- Indische lotus
Asia · Food · № 131
Nelumbo nucifera
Food · Asia
Sacred lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
Almost every part is used: seeds for diarrhoea and restlessness, rhizome as food, leaf for 'summer heat'. Scientific evidence is mostly laboratory research.
Safety notes
Safe as food when cooked. Do not use lotus seed with constipation. Wild lotus may come from polluted water.
Cautions by tradition (3)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Not with constipation.
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
- Chinese materia medica: Embryo not with constipation; leaf not with cold from deficiency.
Preparation
Rhizome and seeds as food (soups, stir-fries, lotus paste); leaf as tea or for wrapping rice. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
The lotus is a sacred symbol of purity in Hinduism and Buddhism: the flower rises clean from the mud. Ody describes how Chinese medicine uses seed, embryo, leaf and rhizome for different purposes.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Aphrodisiac, astringent, stops bleeding, tonic, strengthens the nerves.
Preparation and amount
Leaf tea 3 times a day for summer colds and fever, also as a wash; seed powder ½ tsp or capsules 1–2 × 200 mg as a tonic for heart and kidneys, for concentration and speech; seeds with dang shen for insomnia and palpitations; tincture of rhizome nodes as a nasal plug for nosebleeds.
Caution: Not with constipation.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Seeds soothing and nourishing; flowers cooling, calming, astringent, promote bile flow, diuretic; leaves strengthen the heart; for diarrhoea, high fever, skin irritation, haemorrhoids, painful urination, leprosy, cough, heavy menstruation, vomiting, intestinal irritation, thirst.
Preparation and amount
Seed powder 4–6 g; pollen 1–2 g; root tea 12–20 ml; leaf juice; leaf paste with sandalwood externally; syrup.
Caution: Serious illnesses such as infections, cancer or hepatitis need a doctor: there is no evidence that this remedy cures them.
Everyday Ayurveda
Attributed effects
Symbol of forgiveness and of growing out of negativity.
Chinese food therapy
Attributed effects
Lotus seed is a traditional tonic for male vitality and for menstrual complaints, and calms in nervous tension and insomnia. Lotus root contributes to soups that balance the blood and support recovery from fatigue.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- bitter, cold (embryo); slightly sweet, bitter, neutral (leaf)
- Meridians
- heart, pericardium (embryo); heart, liver, spleen, stomach (leaf)
Attributed effects
Almost all parts are used. The green embryo from the seed (lian xin) cools heart fire in confusion, delirium, restlessness and insomnia. The leaf (he ye) cools summer heat with scanty urination, sweating and diarrhoea and stops bleeding. The rhizome node (ou jie) stops bleeding from heat. The seed (lian zi) binds in diarrhoea, discharge and seminal emission.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–12 g a day, usually in a decoction. The lotus grows from the mud of the pond into a pure flower and is therefore a symbol of spiritual development throughout Asia. The seed (lian zi) is sweet, astringent and neutral and acts on heart, kidney and spleen (6–15 g, also as food). It strengthens the spleen in chronic diarrhoea and poor appetite, retains essence in seminal emission, discharge and uterine bleeding, and calms the mind in restlessness, anxiety and insomnia because heart and kidneys do not work together.
Combinations
- Node with dang gui and Chinese motherwort for excessively heavy menstruation
- Seed with Chinese yam for diarrhoea from spleen deficiency
- Seed with lily bulb, sha shen, sour jujube seed, arborvitae seed and fu shen for restlessness and insomnia
- Seed with cuscuta and fox nut for discharge and seminal emission
Caution: Embryo not with constipation; leaf not with cold from deficiency.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Blessing, meditation, protection.