Lotus is one of plant that lived at muddy area such as pond and swamp. This flower comes from India and Vietnam and become the icon of those 2 countries. It has some Latin name such as Nelumbo nucifera, Nelumbium nelumbo, Nelumbo speciosa, and Nelumbium speciosum. Many of us considered lotus as water lily, but actually those two flowers are different.
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Difference Between Lotus and Water Lily
As we already said before, lotus and water lily are two different flowers. They have similarities, though. But, if we look at them closely, they have difference. What make them different to each other? Let’s find out!
- Lotus has wide and unarranged sheath while water lily has sharp and arranged sheath.
- Lotus’ leaf grow up to the surface while water lily’s leaf float at surface. So, lotus’s leaf come from the bottom to the surface while water lily’s leaf already at the surface.
- Lotus has seeds while water lily hasn’t.
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But, does it has health benefits to our body? You have to take a note that everything that edible in the nature is healthy, if we know how to cook it. Just like lotus, it has such a health benefits of lotus flower for our body. Do you want to know more? Let’s find out!
- Antioxidant Agent
The first health benefits of lotus that we should know is its responsibility as antioxidant. Antioxidant that contains inside lotus, maybe, cause by chemical compound such as fenolit, alkaloid, tokoferol, flavanoid, fenolik, and saponin. We need antioxidant to clear our body from bad chemical compound inside our body and prevent the one that will come. We can find antioxidant in each part of lotus. Here are some of antioxidant’s effect that we can get from lotus:
- Rhizome extract that contains inside this flower will help to clean our body from radical carbon.
- Lotus’ seeds contains chemical compound that will protect our body from free radical, lypoxygenase and anti-oxydative lipid.
- Fenolik and tokoferol that contained inside lotus’ oil will affect on germ effectiveness in our body.
- Flavanoid that contained inside lotus’ leaf will show antioxidant activity depends on the hemoglobin concentrate.
So, each part of lotus contains antioxidant that will clear our body from free radical and prevent from bad chemical that will come inside our body.
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2. Hepatoprotection Agent
Lotus’ seeds extract also has responsibility as hepatoprotection, especially to serum enzyme production. This extract also has responsibility on protect from genotoxic effect. Beside lotus’ seed extract, active compounds contained inside lotus, such as armepavine, are compounds that can cure hepatitis B.
3. Immunomodulation Agent
Armepavine compound that contained inside lotus flower has responsibility as immunomodulation agent. And what is its responsibility to our body? Let’s find out!
- Help pressing expressive cytokine RNA displenocytes.
- Help hampering proliferate Concanavalin A.
- Boost kidney’s function.
- Decrease auto anti-body
- Help hampering nterleukin-2 transcript
- And also it has responsibility as anti-inflammatory
So, if you want to boost your immune system, we recommend you to consume lotus.
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4. Anti-Infection
As we already know, lotus contains lot of good materials for our body. One of its responsibility is to prevent our body from being infected by virus, bacteria, or fungus. Here are chemical compound that can prevent us from infection:
- Etanol – Etanol that contained inside lotus’ seeds extract will help us to hamper the development of herpes virus type 1 (HSV-1).
- Alkaloid and flavanoid – Alkaloid and flavanoid that contained inside lotus’ leaf extract will protect our body from being affected by HIV virus, virus that cause one of the deathly disease AIDS. Beside that, natural compound that contained inside lotus’ leaf extract has anti-fungi activity.
- Rhizome extract – Lotus’ rhizome extract has responsibility as anti-bacteria and anti-fungi that is needed for our body healthiness.
So, if you want to keep your body healthy, you can add lotus as one of your healthy food menu as there are many health benefits of lotus flower.
5. Prevent Obesity
Obesity is very dangerous for our body because obesity can cause another health disease, such as hearth disease, diabetes, etc. Until now, obesity is considered as one of deathly disease.
Is there any way to prevent obesity? Actually, the most important thing is to do healthy diet. Everyone has their own way of healthy diet, but you can try to put lotus on your diet menu. Why? Because natural compound that contained inside lotus such as etanol and flavanoid will help on your diet.
Actually, etanol and flavanoid has a lot responsibilities to keep our weight. But, the main point is to help our digestive system and boost the process of energy released, So, for you who already suffer obesity or just want to keep your weight, you can add lotus to your healthy diet menu.
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6. Anti-Diabetes Agent
Etanol that contained inside lotus’ rhizome will help increasing glucose tolerate inside our body also insulin effectiveness. While quercetin extract that contained inside lotus’ leaf will hamper enzyme that related to complication disease cause by diabetes.
Simply, lotus contains chemical compound that will prevent us from diabetes and complication disease cause by diabetes.
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7. Relief Stress
As we already know, beside as dishes, lotus also used as decoration plant. Usually, we will find it on someone’s backyard that has pond. Does it has any relation to relief stress? Yes, it does. Why? Because we love such a beautiful view. And by putting lotus on our backyard pond, we will find such a beautiful view at our small backyard.
How can lotus relief our stress? First, its color will indulge our sight. If you plant lotus on your pond, you will find your pond more beautiful because lotus has such a pretty color like red, pink, white, blue and purple. Second, lotus is a plant. And as we already know, plant inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen that needed for our body.
So, just sit at your backyard, and you will find your mind refreshed and your stress relieved. And for artist, painter, songwriter, or author, just sit there and maybe you will find inspiration for your next project.
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More Uses of Lotus Flower
We know that lotus is one of beautiful, strong water plant. And maybe not a lot of us know that actually lotus has a lot of benefits for our health. So, do you want to know more about health benefits of lotus flower? Let’s find out!
- As Decoration
If you have your own pond at your backyard, we recommend you to decorate it with plants that can make your pond and backyard looks more pretty and refreshing. One of which is lotus because that flower has such a beautiful color like red, pink, white, blue, and purple. Can you imagine it already?
- As Food
Based on researches, every part of lotus is edible and good for our body healthiness. Do you want to know more? Let’s find out!
- Rhizome –In some countries such as Japan and India, they use lotus’ rhizome as a food. But, you have to take a note that you can’t eat it raw. Because, if you eat it raw, it will has a chance to become an infecting agent. If you eat it raw, you will find some kind of parasite called trematoda. So, if you want to consume lotus’ rhizome, make sure that it’s already cooked.
- Seed – Lotus’ seed contains some kind of flour in it. So, sometimes it used to bake a cake or to cook another food. Also, we can make tea made from lotus’ seed that is still young.
- Stem – Lotus’ stem also edible to be consumed. You can cook lotus’ stem as dishes that you can serve to your family, such as saute.
- Leaf – Lotus’ leaf usually used to wrap raw ingredients such as food and meat to keep it fresh.
Now we already know the used of lotus. Maybe some of us don’t know that actually lotus has such benefits for us, except for point no.1. Not a lot of us know that each part of lotus is actually edible.
How to Consume Lotus Flowers
How can we make sure that lotus is well-cooked? You can make sure of it by cook it by yourself at home. There are steps of how to cook lotus on the internet and you can follow it. Or, you can find lotus at high-class Chinesse, Vietnam, and India restaurant. There you can make sure that lotus that you will consume are well-cooked.
We can eat 4 part of lotus, that is rhizome, seeds, stem and leaf. Those 4 part contains lot of good natural compound that is needed for our health, such as to prevent diabetes and obesity. Also, it contains compound that can boost our anti-infection and antioxidant that will keep our body’s healthiness. So, lotus is considered as one of healthy plant based on researches.
The Cautions of Lotus Flowers
Lotus contains lot of natural compound for our health. But, we have to make sure that lotus that we already consumed are well-cooked. Why? Because maybe some of those natural compound will turn into poison if we don’t cook it well or it still contains something that will affect our health if we eat it raw or not well-cooked, just like we already said that lotus’ rhizome contains some kind of parasite called trematoda.
Lotus is one of plant that is good for our body. Lotus is not water lily, although they have similar shape. Lotus came from India and Vietnam and become the flower icon of those two countries. At its origin country, people considered lotus as one of food ingredients.
Indeed, there are many health benefits of lotus flowers. This beautiful flower has also contains the vitamin and nutrients that is good for body, and many uses as it said above. So, keep a healthy life with a natural sources like lotus flower.
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