White Lotus Flower Dew is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is a fragrant water obtained by distilling the flower buds of Nelumbo nucifera Gacrtn., a plant of the genus Nelumbo in the Nymphaeaceae family. It has the effects of dispelling summer heat and cooling the body. It is primarily used to treat heatstroke, restlessness, fever, thirst, wheezing, coughing, and sputum mixed with blood.
White Lotus Essence
White Lotus Flower Dew is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is a fragrant water obtained by distilling the flower buds of Nelumbo nucifera Gacrtn., a plant of the genus Nelumbo in the Nymphaeaceae family. It has the effects of dispelling summer heat and cooling the body. It is primarily used to treat heatstroke, restlessness, fever, thirst, wheezing, coughing, and sputum mixed with blood.
Chinese Name : 白荷花露
Aliases : White Lotus Dew
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Relieves summer heat and cools the blood.
Indications
Heatstroke, restlessness, fever, thirst, wheezing, cough, and sputum with blood.
Usage and Dosage
Oral use: Simmer until warm; drink 60–120 g.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Jin’s Prescriptions*: “Treats persistent wheezing and coughing with blood in the sputum.”
2. *Guanghe Tang Prescriptions*: “Stops bleeding, dispels blood stasis, relieves summer heat, and stabilizes pregnancy.”
3. *Suixi Ju Dietary Manual*: “Clears the heart, dispels summer heat, and cools the blood.”
4. *Compendium of Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas*: “Clears summer heat and relieves fever; treats restlessness, heat, and thirst.”
Applications
Processing & Preparation
Crude Drug Identification
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), a plant of the genus Nelumbo in the family Nymphaeaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial aquatic herb. The rhizome grows horizontally; it is thick, with swollen internodes containing numerous longitudinal air pores, and bears fibrous adventitious roots on the outside.Leaves emerge from the nodes and rise above the water surface; the petiole is attached to the center of the leaf’s underside, stout, cylindrical, and spiny; the leaf blade is round, 25–90 cm in diameter, with entire or slightly wavy margins, pale green on top, and veins radiating from the center on the underside, with 1–2 orders of forked branches. Flowers are solitary at the tip of the peduncle, which is equal in length to or slightly longer than the petiole;The flower is 10–20 cm tall, fragrant, and red, pink, or white; the petals are elliptical or obovate, 5–10 cm long and 3–5 cm wide; there are numerous stamens with linear anthers and slender filaments attached below the receptacle; there are numerous carpels buried within the swollen receptacle, with an elliptical ovary and an extremely short style.After flowering, it produces a “lotus pod” that is inversely conical, with 20–30 small pores, each containing a single fruit; the nut is elliptical or ovate, with a leathery pericarp and a hard seed that turns dark brown when ripe. The seed is ovate or elliptical, 1.2–1.7 cm long, with a red or white seed coat.Flowering occurs from June to August, and fruiting from August to October.
Distribution Area
It is widely distributed throughout China, from north to south.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm and humid climate; when soil temperature reaches 10°C or higher, the apical bud of the seed lotus root begins to sprout; when air temperature reaches 15°C or higher, the stems and leaves grow; 20–30°C is optimal for stem and leaf growth as well as flowering and fruiting; 25–35°C is optimal for lotus root formation; when the air temperature drops below 15°C, the plant ceases to grow.Water level requirements: 5–10 cm is optimal during the early growth stage; 20–30 cm during the peak growth period; the water level should not submerge the erect leaves.
Cultivation Techniques
Use side shoots or daughter tubers as planting stock, and select paddy fields with fertile soil that retains water and nutrients. Planting tubers should generally consist of two nodes; plant two daughter tubers per planting hole, or one parent tuber and one daughter tuber per hole. When planting, dig furrows according to the shape of the tuber, place the tuber horizontally with the apical bud tilted downward, cover the furrow with soil, and press firmly to prevent it from floating.
Pest and Disease Control
1. For lotus root black spot disease and brown spot disease, spray with a mixture of 500-fold diluted 50% carbendazim and 0.3% laundry detergent at the first sign of infection, and promptly remove diseased leaves.2. Pests include the long-legged water leaf beetle; mix 40% ethion powder with fine soil, apply it to the field surface, and till it into the soil after adding shallow water; for the lotus midge, spray a 1,000–1,500-fold dilution of 90% diazinon during the larval stage.