🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Lotus is revered in Chinese folk culture as the “gentleman among flowers.” Throughout history, people have regarded her as a symbol of beauty, integrity, and purity, praising her “rising from mud yet unstained, washed in clear ripples yet not flamboyant.” Lotus is a perennial aquatic herbaceous plant. China has a long history of cultivating lotus, with detailed records in the ancient agricultural text *Qimin Yaoshu* over 1,400 years ago. Archaeologists have discovered two ancient lotus seeds at the Yangshao Culture site in Dahe Village, Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
Lotus has medicinal value. Lotus seeds are sweet, neutral, astringent, and non-toxic. Consuming lotus seeds can “nourish the middle energizer, calm the spirit, invigorate vitality, eliminate various ailments, and long-term consumption promotes lightness, longevity, prevents hunger, and extends life.” Modern pharmaceutical studies show that every 100 grams of fresh lotus seeds contain 4.9 grams of protein, 0.6 grams of fat, 9.2 grams of carbohydrates, 18 milligrams of calcium, 54 milligrams of phosphorus, 1.2 milligrams of iron, along with lotus alkaloid and various vitamins.
Lotus seeds enter the spleen, kidney, and heart meridians, with functions including strengthening the spleen and heart to stop diarrhea, nourishing the kidneys and consolidating essence, calming the heart and soothing the spirit, and stopping leukorrhea. They are mainly used for chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, spermatorrhea and leukorrhea, palpitations and insomnia, frequent urination due to kidney deficiency, hemoptysis and menorrhagia, and menstrual disorders.
The following lotus seed recipes are recommended for selection:
Strengthening Heart and Calming Mind: Use 15 grams each of lotus seeds, longan, red dates, and lily, simmer gently into a decoction, divided into two servings—one in the morning, one in the evening. The final serving may include consuming the remaining herbs and liquid together.
Nourishing Spleen and Moistening Kidneys: Use 100 grams of lean pork, 30 grams of lotus seeds, 30 grams of lily, 15 grams of astragalus, and 15 grams of red dates, simmer into a broth, drink three times daily. The last serving may include mixing the herbs with a little sugar and consuming them.
For Spermatorrhea and Menorrhagia: Grind lotus seeds into powder, take 10 grams per dose with boiling water, twice daily—morning and evening.
For Palpitations and Insomnia: Use 60 grams of lotus seeds (remove hearts), 15 grams of prepared rehmannia, 15 grams of salvia, 15 grams of lotus leaf, and 250 grams of glutinous rice. First, simmer lotus seeds in water until soft, then add glutinous rice and the other three herbs, plus 1,000 ml of water, and continue simmering slowly into a porridge. Consume twice daily—morning and evening—with added sugar, one bowl at a time.
For Spleen Deficiency and Diarrhea: Use 20 grams of lotus seed flesh (remove hearts), 10 grams of Chinese yam, 5 grams of chicken gizzard lining, and 200 grams of glutinous rice. First, simmer lotus seed flesh and Chinese yam in water until soft, then add glutinous rice and chicken gizzard lining, plus 500 ml of water, and cook into porridge. Consume twice daily—morning and evening. Jiang Zhaohui