Nilofar Health Dictionary

Gaertn.

Nelumbium speciosum

Family: Nymphaeaceae.

Habitat: Throughout warmer parts of India, up to 1,800 m.

English: East Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus.

Ayurvedic: Kamala, Padma, Nalina, Aravinda, Jalaja, Raajeeva, Pushkara, Ambuja, Abja, Pankaja. Pundarika (whitish), kokanada (red), Indivara (Bluish).

Unani: Used as a substitute for Nilofar.

Siddha/Tamil: Thaamarai, Ambel.

Action: Filament—astringent and haemostatic. Prescribed for bleeding piles and menorrhagia. Flowers—a decoction is given in cholera, fever, strangury, palpitation of heart. Rhizomes—given in piles, chronic dyspepsia and dysentery; applied externally to cutaneous eruptions, scabies and ringworm. Rhizome-arrowroot— given to children in diarrhoea and dysentery. Root—astringent, diuretic, antiemetic, cooling. Used for dysentery, dyspepsia, piles, skin affections and for its anticoagulant properties.

The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia ofIn- dia recommends dried rhizomes, with roots attached at nodes, in syncope and vertigo.

Flowers yielded quercetin, luteolin and their glycosides and kaempferol glycosides. Leaves gave quercetin, iso- quercitrin and leucoanthocyanidin.

Isoquinoline alkaloid, nuciferin, is neuroleptic. Active agents in the leaves are the alkaloids, nelumbin and roe- merin.

Dosage: Dried flower—12-24 g for decoction (API, Vol. II); rhizomes— 5-10 m powder; 10-20 ml juice (API, Vol. III). Seed—3-6 g powder; flower—10-20 ml juice. (CCRAS.)... nelumbo nucifera

Linn.

Family: Nymphaeaceae.

Habitat: Kashmir (in lakes).

English: European White Water-lily.

Ayurvedic: Kumuda, Utpala (white- flowered var.) (Mahotpla is the synonym of Nelumbo nucifera.)

Unani: Nilofar.

Siddha/Tamil: Alli (water lilies).

Action: Flowers and rhizomes—astringent, demulcent, mild sedative, spasmolytic, antiseptic, antimicrobial. Used in the form of an infusion internally for chronic diarrhoea, as a douche for leucorrhoea and vaginitis, as a gargle for sore throat. Also given internally in prostatis.... nymphaea alba

Willd.

Family: Nymphaeaceae.

Habitat: A native to Southeast Asia; found in ponds and ditches throughout India.

English: Indian Blue Water-lily.

Ayurvedic: Nilotpala (blue or voilet-flowered var.).

Unani: Nilofar.

Siddha/Tamil: Neelothpalam.

Action: See N. alba.... nymphaea stellata