✵The article records the herb Lotus Plumule, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, botanical source—namely, the single plant species Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, and ecological environment of this species, as well as the characteristics of the herb Lotus Plumule, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Plumula Nelumbinis (Lotus Plumule)
Pinyin Name: Lián Zǐ Xīn
English Name: Lotus Plumule
Latin Name:Plumula Nelumbinis Properties and Flavor: Cold, bitter
Brief Introduction:Plumula Nelumbinis is the dried plumule and radicle from the ripe seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. It is used (1) to clear heat from the Heart and calm the Shen, for treating delirium in acute febrile diseases, insomnia, and nocturnal emission; and (2) to stop seminal emission and bleeding, especially in cases of seminal emission and hematemesis due to blood-heat. The herb is commonly known as Plumula Nelumbinis, Lotus Plumule, or Lián Zǐ Xīn.
Botanical Source:Plumula Nelumbinis (Lotus Plumule) is the dried plumule and radicle obtained from the ripe seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., a plant of the genus Nelumbo, family Nelumbonaceae (lotus-lily family), order Proteales. This widely used species is described below:
(1) Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn
Botanical Description:Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. is a perennial aquatic herb belonging to the family Nelumbonaceae (formerly in family Nymphaeaceae), genus Nelumbo. It is commonly known as sacred lotus or lián. Rhizomes grow horizontally, are hypertrophied, with enlarged internodes containing numerous longitudinal air cavities; fibrous adventitious roots arise externally. Leaves arise from nodes and emerge above the water surface; petioles insert centrally on the abaxial leaf surface, are thick, cylindrical, and spiny. Leaf blades are circular, 25–90 cm in diameter, entire or slightly undulate; the adaxial surface is pinkish-green; veins radiate from the center on the abaxial surface, each with one or two secondary forked branches.
Solitary flowers arise at the apex of the peduncle; peduncles and petioles are of equal length or the peduncle is slightly longer, both bearing scattered small prickles. Flowers are 10–20 cm in diameter, fragrant, and range in color from red to pink or white. Petals are elliptic or obovate, 5–10 cm long and 3–5 cm wide. Stamens are numerous; anthers are linear, filaments are slender, inserted below the receptacle. Carpels are numerous and embedded within the enlarged receptacle; ovaries are elliptic, styles are very short.
After flowering, the seedpod develops into an obconical structure, 5–10 cm in diameter, bearing 20–30 apertures, each containing one fruit. The nut is elliptic or oval, 1.5–2.5 cm long; the pericarp is coriaceous, firm and hard, turning blackish-brown at maturity. Seeds are oval or elliptic, 1.2–1.7 cm long; the spermoderm (seed coat) is red or white. Flowering occurs from June to August; fruiting from August to October.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in marshes, ponds, lake margins, or paddy fields—both wild and cultivated.
Growth Characteristics: The plant prefers a warm, humid climate. Lotus seeds germinate when soil temperature exceeds 10 °C (50 °F); stem and leaf growth begins above 15 °C (59 °F); optimal growth, flowering, and fruiting occur at 20–30 °C (68–86 °F); rhizome (lotus root) development is most vigorous at 25–35 °C (77–95 °F); growth ceases below 15 °C (59 °F). Optimal water depth is 5–10 cm during early growth, 20–30 cm at peak vegetative stage, and must never submerge the leaves.
Rhizomes are planted in the mud at the bottom of ponds or rivers, while leaves and flowers rise to or above the water surface. A few centimeters of pedicel extend above the water to bear flowers. The plant typically reaches 150 cm in height and spreads horizontally up to 3 meters. Leaves may reach 60 cm in diameter; showy flowers may attain 20 cm in diameter. Numerous cultivars exist, ranging in flower color from snow-white to yellow or pink.
Lotus may be propagated by seed or rhizome. Notably, lotus seeds possess extraordinary longevity: some scientists have successfully germinated thousand-year-old seeds, yielding viable, flowering plants.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb consists of the embryo of the lotus seed with the cotyledons removed. It is small, rod-shaped, green, 1–1.5 cm long, and approximately 2 mm in diameter. Internally, it bears two young leaves—one is longer and one is shorter—rolled into an arrowhead shape and reflexed downward; the plumule is minute and situated between the two young leaves; the radicle is cylindrical, about 3 mm long, and yellowish-white. The herb is brittle and fractures easily, revealing numerous small pores on the fracture surface. It is odorless and tastes intensely bitter.
Medicinal Efficacy: Clears Heart-fire, calms the Heart and Shen, restores harmonious coordination between the Heart and Kidney, drains Liver-fire, clears heat, stops bleeding, and arrests seminal emission. It is indicated for Heat entering the Pericardium, coma and delirium, restlessness and insomnia, disharmony between the Heart and Kidney, vertigo and dizziness, thirst, irritability, red and painful/swollen eyes, spermatorrhea, blood-heat syndromes, and hematemesis.
Administration of Plumula Nelumbinis (Lián Zǐ Xīn):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Plumula Nelumbinis (Lián Zǐ Xīn)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 2–5 grams; (2) Internally: as a water decoction, 0.5–1 qián (≈1.5–3 grams), or prepared as a powder; (3) Internally: as a water decoction, 1.5–3 grams, or prepared as a powder.
✵The article records the herb Lotus Plumule, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, botanical source—namely, the single plant species Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, and ecological environment of this species, as well as the characteristics of the herb Lotus Plumule, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Lián Zǐ Xīn
Botanical Description: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. is a perennial aquatic herb belonging to the family Nelumbonaceae (formerly in family Nymphaeaceae), genus Nelumbo. It is commonly known as sacred lotus or lián. Rhizomes grow horizontally, are hypertrophied, with enlarged internodes containing numerous longitudinal air cavities; fibrous adventitious roots arise externally. Leaves arise from nodes and emerge above the water surface; petioles insert centrally on the abaxial leaf surface, are thick, cylindrical, and spiny. Leaf blades are circular, 25–90 cm in diameter, entire or slightly undulate; the adaxial surface is pinkish-green; veins radiate from the center on the abaxial surface, each with one or two secondary forked branches.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in marshes, ponds, lake margins, or paddy fields—both wild and cultivated.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb consists of the embryo of the lotus seed with the cotyledons removed. It is small, rod-shaped, green, 1–1.5 cm long, and approximately 2 mm in diameter. Internally, it bears two young leaves—one is longer and one is shorter—rolled into an arrowhead shape and reflexed downward; the plumule is minute and situated between the two young leaves; the radicle is cylindrical, about 3 mm long, and yellowish-white. The herb is brittle and fractures easily, revealing numerous small pores on the fracture surface. It is odorless and tastes intensely bitter.
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