The efficacy and function of water lily

In daily life, people are not only very familiar with various foods, but also come into contact with a lot of medicines in daily life. Among them, water lily is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. Given that there are still many people who don’t know much about water lily, let’s take a detailed look at it below.

[Other names] Water lily, Ruilian (Lingnan Miscellaneous Notes), Ziwulian (Compendium of Materia Medica), Zibihua (Illustrated Catalogue of Plant Names and Realities).

[Source] It is the flower of the water lily of the Nymphaeaceae family. Harvested in summer.

[Original morphology] Perennial aquatic herb with rhizomes covered with linear black hairs. The leaves are clustered and float on the water surface; they are round heart-shaped or kidney-shaped, 5 to 12 cm long, 3.5 to 9 cm wide, with obtuse tips; the auricles at the base are sharp or obtuse, with entire margins; they are green on the upper side, with reddish-brown spots when young, and red or dark purple on the lower side; the petioles are slender. The flowers float on the water surface, are 4 to 5 cm in diameter, white in color, bloom at noon and close at 5 pm; the base of the calyx is square, with 4 sepals; the petals are 8 to 17, in multiple layers; the stamens are numerous, in 3 to 4 layers, and the anthers are yellow; the stigma has 4 to 8 radials, which are broadly ovate and teaspoon-shaped. The berries are spherical, soft, and contain many small seeds. Flowering period is summer.

[Habitat distribution] Growing in ponds and lakes. It is distributed in most parts of the country.

[Chemical composition] The roots and leaves contain amino acids and alkaloids.

[Pharmacological action] The water extract of the whole plant of white water lily of the same genus has a significant antihypertensive effect on dogs and rabbits with experimental hypertension induced by posterior pituitary hormone, while the toxicity is quite low.

【Function】 ① "Miscellaneous Notes of Lingnan": "Relieves summer heat and relieves hangover."

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica"; 1. "Guangzhi": Water lily has several layers of leaves, the middle of the leaves are like water chestnuts but larger, the flowers have five colors, they bloom during the summer day, shrink into the water at night, and come out during the day, which is the opposite of dream grass which goes into the ground during the day and comes out at night. It is found in Guangzhou.

The above is a detailed description of the effects and edible methods of water lilies. Medicines like water lilies are very effective in treating diseases. However, it should be noted that when using water lilies, they need to be used in moderation and should not be used too much, otherwise it will not be of any benefit to the body.