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Botanical Name
Nelumbo nucifera

Lotus

Details

The sacred lotus is an aquatic perennial, one of just two living species in the family Nelumbonaceae, and often confused with the true water lilies, although modern classification places its nearest relatives among the sycamores. It roots in the mud of ponds and river beds, and its round leaves, up to a metre across, either float or stand high above the water on long stalks. The flowers, as much as 35 centimetres wide, are usually pink with a yellow centre, and the central cone ripens into the seed head. Its native range runs from East Asia through northern Indochina to central and northern India. It has been grown for its edible seeds for some three thousand years, and its starchy rhizomes are a common vegetable across Asia. It is the national flower of India, sacred in both Hinduism and Buddhism, and closely tied to Lakshmi and Vishnu. Kynes notes that Hindu texts make it an emblem of the womb and the life-giving mother, while Buddhists see the four elements in its rise from mud through water into air and sunlight. The ancient Egyptians held it sacred and offered it to their gods. In magical practice its scent is said to protect whoever breathes it in, and carrying any part of it is meant to win divine favour and good fortune.

Caution

Cunningham warns that it may upset the digestive system if taken internally.

References

#1#2#3#4

Correspondences

Elements
Water, Air, Earth, Fire
Celestial Bodies
Moon, Sun
Zodiac Signs
Cancer
Colours
None recorded
Deities
Aphrodite (Greek), Apollo (Greek), Ceres (Roman), Demeter (Greek), Hathor (Egyptian), Hermes (Greek), Horus (Egyptian), Isis (Egyptian), Kuan Yin (Chinese Buddhist), Lakshmi (Hindu), Osiris (Egyptian), Ra (Egyptian), Thoth (Egyptian), Vishnu (Hindu)

Folk Names

  • Baino
  • East Indian Lotus
  • Egyptian Lotus
  • Hindu Lotus
  • Indian Lotus
  • Kamala
  • Oriental Lotus
  • Padma
  • Pink Lotus
  • Sacred Lotus

Categories

  • Creativity
  • Harmony
  • Inspiration
  • Love
  • Peace
  • Protection
  • Purification
  • Transformation
  • Truth
  • Wisdom

Substitutes

No substitutes recorded.

Forms

Flower

The flower holds its own temperature between 30 and 35 °C even when the air is far cooler, perhaps to draw cold-blooded insect pollinators. Kynes describes the sacred lotus's bloom as usually pink with a yellow centre, sometimes white or white tipped with pink, and cultivated flowering varieties also come in yellow and red.

References

#5#6

Correspondences

Colours
Pink, White, Yellow, Red

Oil

Kynes lists lotus essential oil among the forms on sale, and uses it in a diffuser to make a ritual space sacred.

References

#7

Pod

The dried seed head, shaped like the spout of a watering can, is sold around the world for decoration and dried flower arranging, and Kynes lists dried pods among the forms on sale. Cunningham pairs the pods with the seeds to counter love spells.

References

#8#9#10

Root

The thick rhizome, sold as lotus root, is eaten as a vegetable across Asia, especially in China, Japan, India and Pakistan: fried, cooked in soups, steeped in syrup or pickled, or dried and ground into flour. Cunningham has a piece of the root placed under the tongue, with spoken words, to open a locked door.

Caution

Eaten raw, the rhizome, like the leaves and petals, can pass on parasites such as Fasciolopsis buski, so it should be cooked first.

References

#11#12

Seed

The seed is the part the AHPA handbook covers, as traditional Chinese medicine uses it, with the green embryo taken out. Husked and peeled, the seeds are eaten fresh or dried for keeping; lotus seed tea is drunk in Korea, and a tea of the embryo in China and Vietnam. Cunningham uses the seeds, with the pods, to counter love spells.

Caution

AHPA safety class 2d: not for people with constipation, dry stools or a distended abdomen. Reference texts on Chinese and Indian medicine give no caution for pregnancy, though seed extracts disturbed the oestrous cycle in rats and mice. Its safety while nursing has not been established.

References

#13#14#15

References

Notes

  1. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus"; p. 266.
  2. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, p. 594.
  3. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  4. Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera."
  5. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  6. Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera."
  7. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  8. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  9. Kynes, Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  10. Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera."
  11. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  12. Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera."
  13. Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical, under "Lotus".
  14. Gardner and McGuffin, American Herbal Products Association's, pp. 594–595; p. xxii.
  15. Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera."

Bibliography

  • Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. 2nd ed. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2012. (EPUB.)181113
  • Gardner, Zoë, and Michael McGuffin, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2013. (PDF.)214
  • Kynes, Sandra. The Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants: History, Folklore, Correspondences, and Spells. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2024. (EPUB.)3579
  • Wikipedia, under "Nelumbo nucifera." Accessed October 11, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nelumbo_nucifera&oldid=1379327692. Open the Source46101215
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