Blue Lotus Flowers // Nymphaea Caerulea

Blue lily was held in very high esteem by the ancient Egyptians, who worshiped it as a symbol for the origins of life. The Egyptians believed that the world was once covered by water and darkness. A Blue Lily sprang up from the water and opened its petals to reveal a young god; a divine child. Light streamed from the divine child to banish universal darkness. This child-god was the creator, the sun god, the source of all life. When the pharaoh known as King Tut was entombed, his body was covered in Nymphaea caerulea flowers.

Traditionally, a cigarette made of the dried flowers was smoked. Our Blue Lily Flowers are flowers and tops only and are suspected to contain the natural alkaloids aporphine and nuciferine.

There are also reports from spiritual explorers that speak of the ritual usefulness of Sacred Blue Lily when smoked over several days, especially when the blue lily petals are combined with, or alternated with white lotus (Nymphaea alba) flowers.

Historically the Blue Lily was used to treat aches and pains, improve memory, promote circulation, promote sexual desire, and has been used to support a natural sense of well-being.* Recent studies may support such beliefs as Nymphaea caeruleawas found to be loaded with helpful phytosterols and bioflavonoids.

Scientific Research on Blue Lotus Extract

Blue lotus’ two main alkaloids are nuciferine and aporphine. A 1978 study found that nuciferine blocks dopamine receptors and has a relaxing, sedative effect. Aporphine in particular is a “dopamine D1 antagonist,” meaning it blocks a specific dopamine receptor. Dopamine receptors in the brain play a role in mood, pleasure, motivation, memory, and more. Blocking dopamine reception means more dopamine — the happiness neurotransmitter — stays in the synapse, potentially leading to a temporary feeling of well-being.

Although research on the flower is scarce, blue lotus extract was featured in a British TV series called Sacred Weeds, which aired in the late ‘90s. Two volunteers drank wine that blue lotus flowers were steeped in for several days. The volunteers said they felt relaxed, happy, chatty, and cheeky for roughly two hours, at which point they ate the flowers and some effects returned. At the time, a pharmacologist observed that the effects of blue lotus extract were “euphoria with tranquilization.” However, this obviously was not a scientific study, as there wasn’t a control group. Scientists, you know what to do.

Blue Lotus Historical Use

“Some people today believe that the Egyptians used blue lotus as a narcotic both for its healing qualities and as a recreational drug when soaked in wine, though this is a hotly debated topic,” notes Tour Egypt. The priest caste in Egyptian and Mayan civilizations used blue lotus extract for its narcotic properties, according to a 1981 paper by William A. Emboden. The ancient Egyptians believed in the medicinal power of the flower’s scent; they also are said to have smoked dried blue lotus flowers. Blue lotus is also possibly what Homer mentions in high school English classic The Odyssey. Homer writes of meeting island dwellers he calls the Lotus-Eaters, who eat the “honey-sweet lotus fruit” and never want to go home. He has to drag his men away from the island back to the ship — that’s how potent the lotus flower was! It might have been the sacred lotus instead, but the description of the lotus as being a sedative seems to suggest it was blue lotus.