Wild Lotus Seeds from Luoma Lake

Wild Lotus Seeds from Luoma Lake

　　Wild Lotus Seeds from Luoma Lake

　　 Lotus seeds belong to the Nymphaeaceae family. When dried, they become as hard as gorgon fruit or water caltrop seeds, with a mildly sweet flesh and rich nutritional content. Since ancient times, they have been recognized as a premium tonic and are highly favored by people.

　　Properties: Fresh ones are sweet, astringent, neutral, and non-toxic; dried ones are sweet, warm, astringent, and non-toxic.　　

　　Effects: Clears the heart and refreshes the spleen, strengthens the spleen to stop diarrhea, nourishes the heart and calms the mind, improves vision, replenishes vitality, strengthens the spleen and stomach, stops diarrhea and consolidates essence, benefits kidneys, astringes essence, and regulates leukorrhea. Nourishes vital energy. 　　

　　 Ancient people believed that eating lotus seeds could make one rejuvenate or even achieve immortality. While this is naturally not credible, their medicinal value in calming the mind, improving brain function, and eliminating fatigue has been well-documented in historical medical texts. For instance, records can be found in the “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica,” “Supplements to the Materia Medica,” “Compendium of Materia Medica,” and “Essentials of Materia Medica.”

　　 Modern pharmacological studies also confirm that lotus seeds have various effects such as sedation, cardiotonic action, and anti-aging. Lotus seeds are highly nutritious, containing not only large amounts of starch but also β-sitosterol, alkaloids, as well as abundant minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and iron, along with vitamins.

　　 Per 100 grams of lotus seeds, there are 89 milligrams of calcium and up to 285 milligrams of phosphorus. Although potassium content is less than 2.1 milligrams, it still ranks the highest among all animal and plant-based foods. When used as a health tonic or in dietary therapy, the lotus seed core is generally not removed. The lotus seed core is the greenish embryo at the center of the lotus seed, which tastes bitter and has effects such as clearing heat, consolidating essence, calming the mind, and strengthening the heart. Soaking 2 grams of lotus seed core in boiling water for drinking can treat restlessness, mental confusion, and spermatorrhea caused by high fever, and is also used for treating hypertension, dizziness, palpitations, and insomnia.