Lotus Seed,Semen Nelumbus and traditional remedy!

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Origin of Lotus Seed.

Lotus Seed Extract INCI Name Nelumbo Nucifera Extract CAS 85085-51-4 Semen Nelumbus Lotus extract Lotus root Extract Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn lian zi photo picture image This herb is the germinating bud of ripe seed of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., belonging to the lotus-lily family (Nelumbonaceae) of the water-lily order (Nymphaeales). This species is found in tropical and subtropical Middle East and Asia, from Egypt eastwards to Iran, India, China,and Australia.

 The other speices of the order is the American lotus, or water chinquapin (N. lu tea, or N. pentapetala), found in the eastern United States and southward to Colombia.

 There are a number of freshwater plants called water lily that belong to the order Nymphaeaceae, comprising eight genera native to the temperate and tropical parts of the world. All members of the order are perennial except for the genus Euryale, an annual or short-lived perennial found only in Asia.

 The family Nelumbonaceae is characterized by circular, centrally stalked, slightly hairy leaves up to about 60 cm across, with the margins turned up, forming a funnel- or saucer-shaped depression. The leaves extend, in the Asian species, as much as 2 m above the water instead of floating on it.

 The large, attractive flowers also stand high above the water on strong, leafless stalks. They may be up to 25 cm across and have a number of petals, which close at night. The flowers of the Nelumbo nucifera, which stand as much as 1.8 m above the water, are pink or rose-coloured and fragrant. It is in flower from July to August. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). The American lotus has pale yellow flowers that rise about 60 cm above the water.

 Many varieties of the sacred lotus exist in cultivation, including dwarf forms and colour varieties ranging from white to red. It cannot grow in the shade but can grow in water. The plant's many nutlike fruits are produced in the flat upper surface of a spongy receptacle or expanded, fleshy, capsulelike structure, which is wider at the upper end than at the base.

 The whole structure dries at maturity, breaks off, and floats about, releasing the seeds, actually the true fruits, through numerous holes in the flat surface. The seeds sink to the bottom and establish new plants. The dried receptacles are used by florists in dried arrangements.

 The whole plant of both species is edible. The rhizomes of Nelumbo nucifera are eaten in Asia either boiled or preserved in sugar and are the source of the starch known as lotus meal. The boiled young leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Even the stamens are used in Southeast Asia for flavouring tea. The American lotus is similarly edible, especially the large rhizomes, which were once a source of starchy food for the American Indians.

 The plants are particularly beneficial to wildlife. Beaver, for instance, eat the rootstocks, and fish obtain shade and shelter among the underwater portions of the plants.

 The seeds of the Oriental lotus have been ascribed remarkable powers of longevity and, under ideal conditions, may survive many years. Seeds recovered from an ancient peat bog in Manchuria have been shown by radioactive carbon dating to be some 1,000 years old, yet were capable of germinating.

 The green plumule wraped in the core of the seed is called Plumula Nelumbinis.

 In China, lotus seed is produced in ponds and lakes of Hunan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang provinces and other parts of southen China. It is collected in August and September every year, dried in the sun after removing the seed skin and used unprepared.

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citations1.Lotus Seed,Semen Nelumbus and traditional remedy!

last edit date:24th,June.2009.