Nelumbo nucifera / Sacred Lotus / Nymphaeaceae (Water Lily family)

Information

This product is not sold or intended for the purpose of human consumption or cosmetic use. Any information provided about this product on this website, including any links to external websites, are solely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and must not be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the product. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the product is not intended to "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." The use and application of this product, based on the historical and scientific context provided in the product descriptions and articles, is solely at the customer's risk. This product is a botanical specimen of ethnographic value and interest only and is delivered with no express or implied fitness for any purpose. The product descriptions are compiled from sources we deemed to be reliable up to the date it was written but may contain omissions or errors in fact, or become outdated. It outlines the documented history of uses but should no way be construed to make any medical claims about the ability or efficacy of any of these plants to treat, prevent or mitigate any disease or condition. Although a plant may have a long history of being used for a particular purpose, scientific evidence proving its efficacy for that purpose may be lacking.

Other Names

Bunga Telpok, East Indian Lotus, Egyptian Lotus, Fève d'Egypte, Hasu, Kamal, Lian, Lin Ngau (China, Taiwan), Loto Sagrado, Lotus Root, Lotus Sacré, Nelumbium, Oriental Lotus, Renkon, Rosa del Nilo, Sacred Lotus, Sacred Water Lily, Teratai, Teratai/Seroja (Malay).

Scent

Exotic floral aroma with slightly herbaceous and medicinal top notes.

Aromatic Properties

Lotus sweeps you off your feet like a young bride and carries you far and away, to other dimensions, other realms, places of infinite beauty, places of the soul beyond the living. It is excellent for people who are afraid of life, or of death; brings respite to the sick and suffering; is a beautiful meditation and prayer lifting device as well as soothing on the most profound levels.

Historical

The Lotus is one of the world's most celebrated flowers. From time immemorial to the present day, it has always been in folklore, religion and the arts in one form or the other.
Sacred Lotus is much more than a flower for Hindus. It is symbolic of all that is good and beautiful. Scriptures tell us that it first bloomed with the creation of the universe. Over the centuries it has lost none of its allure. Lotus blossoms are sacred to Hindus and Buddhists because of their ancient shamanic function. The plants are commonly grown in Asia for the rhizomes and seeds. This species is intimately linked with the Buddhist religion, symbolizing vitality and purity. Along with its ornamental value, this plant is cultivated for food and traditional Chinese medicine. Virtually all parts of the plant are edible. Its seeds are roasted to make puffs called makhanas. The plant's rhizomes are a source of lotus meal which is rich in starch. A number of wild animals feed on the plant. Fish find refuge in its underwater stalks.
Indians believe that Brahma, creator and God of the universe, sprang from a lotus blossom. And the Buddhist prayer "Om! Mani padme hum!" translates as "Oh!, the jewel of the lotus flower!" The term lotus is applied in general to several species of plants. About 100 lotus species are found in temperate regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The pink and purple coloured variety found in the country and widely used in religion is called Nelumbo nucifera. According to Yoga and Tantra there are seven lotus wheels in the human body. The lotus is the object of meditation in Tantrik Buddhism. The lotus motif has also been extensively used in shrines, art, architecture and sculpture of the Jains. The Ionic order of architecture of the ancient Greeks is an offshoot of the Assyrian and Phoenician forms which have the lotus as their basis.
One of the oldest seeds that have yet been germinated into a viable plant was an approximately 1,300-year-old lotus fruit, recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.

Plant Description

Originally from Indonesia and India, Sacred Lotus was brought to China and Egypt thousands of years ago. From China it was taken to other parts of Asia including Japan and northern Australia. This wonderful plant is a perennial water plant, long grown in Oriental countries both as an ornamental and for its edible rhizomes and seeds. Rhizomes are thick and tuberous and creep in the earth at the bottoms of ponds or slow moving streams. The leaves are nearly round, large and long stemmed. They may float on deep water, but rise high above shallow water. It has large flowers up to 25 cm across and leaves 60 cm across. Both flowers and leaves sometimes grow up to 1.8 m above water. The fruit is an enlarged receptacle, in which the many seeds are embedded.