Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera · Lotus leaf · Lotus seed

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Blood glucose support¹ Gut microbiota composition² Summer-heat diarrhea, traditional¹	Pregnancy³ Breastfeeding³

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic plant whose seeds, leaf, rhizome, and seedpod are used as food and as herbal medicine. Leaf extracts show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity attributed to their alkaloids and flavonoids.¹ Supplementation follows from that activity: leaf preparations for weight management and blood glucose, and traditional uses of the plant for insomnia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.

Human evidence is mostly indirect. A systematic review found a five-herb weight-loss formula containing lotus shifted gut microbiota in obese adults without significant changes in anthropometry or laboratory markers. In roundworm models of Alzheimer's disease, a 2024 study found leaf extract reduced amyloid-beta toxicity by activating autophagy; no human trial has tested it. Products listing lotus total 182 in the label database, and the sampled products were all liquids; see Form comparison.

Health Canada labels also ask people taking prescription medications to consult a health care practitioner before use³. A 2024 forensic report found synthetic cannabinoids in vaping products sold as blue lotus⁴.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

31 sources, 29 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources