Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), of the Nelumbonaceae family. Aquatic perennial from a jointed rhizome, its round leaves and pink flowers held above the water; native range: Ponds and slow waters of Asia, from India to China. Globally recognized as lian (蓮) / he (荷) in Chinese, kamala / padma / pundarika in Sanskrit, kanwal (the seed, kanwal gatta) in Arabic, and sacred lotus, Indian lotus in English. The part used is seed, seed-plumule, leaf, rhizome-node and stamen. Pale sweet starchy seeds enclosing a bitter green plumule; broad water-repellent leaves; the crisp jointed rhizome.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
LOTUS
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Lotus
- Scientific name
- Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
- Family
- Nelumbonaceae
Form
- Part used
- seed, seed-plumule, leaf, rhizome-node and stamen
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · astringent · bitter
- Ayurveda
- sweet (madhura) · astringent (kashaya)
- Unani
- sweet · astringent
Temperature
- TCM
- seed (lian zi): neutral · plumule (lian zi xin): cold · leaf (he ye): neutral · node (ou jie): neutral
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
- Unani
- cold (& dry, the seed)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Spleen · Kidney · Heart · Liver · Stomach
- Unani
- heart · stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- seed tonifies the Spleen and Kidney and calms the Heart; plumule clears Heart fire; leaf clears summerheat and raises the clear yang; node stops bleeding; stamen stabilizes Kidney essence
- Ayurveda
- sheetala (cooling), raktapittahara (checks heat-bleeding), hridya (cardiac), stambhana (astringent), varnya (complexion)
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac tonic), muqawwi-e-dimagh (brain tonic), habis (astringent); the seed for palpitation and seminal weakness
Cautions
- Contraindications
- constipation and abdominal fullness (the astringent seed)
- Toxicity
- essentially none at food and medicinal doses
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