These are WHOLE organic blue lotus flower petals, hand-picked from a single pond, on a small farm in Nepal. Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus Petals) have become etched in folklore because of a fabulous people who supposedly occupied the north coast of Africa and lived on the lotus, which brought forgetfulness and happy indolence. The Sacred Lotus flower was also what the Ulysses' crew smoked after coming ashore following years at sea. Similar in effect to the Sacred Blue Lily of the Nile, the Sacred Lotus is often steeped in wine or tea. It is said to produce a "feeling of joy that permeates the whole body, emanating from every cell" that is "delightfully wonderful and lasts for some time."
Sacred Lotus contains lotusine, demethyl coclaurine, neferin, and nuciferine.
Some believe that the lotus came to India from Egypt. Later, Buddhism borrowed the flower from Hinduism. In Buddhist painting and sculpture, whenever Buddha is shown delivering an important sermon, he is shown sitting on a lotus pedestal. Buddhist scriptures enumerate fragrance, purity, delicateness and beauty as the attributes of lotus.
The lotus is one of the world’s most celebrated flowers. From time immemorial to the present day, it has always been in folklore, religion and the arts in one form or the other. The terms lotus is applied in general to several species of plants. About 100 lotus species are found in temperate regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The pink and purple coloured variety found in the country and widely used in religion is called Nelumbo nucifera. Scriptures tell us that it first bloomed with the creation of the universe. Over the centuries it has lost none of its allure.
According to Yoga and Tantra there are seven lotus wheels in the human body. The lotus is the object of meditation in Tantrik Buddhism. The lotus motif has also been extensively used in shrines, art, architecture and sculpture of the Jains. The Ionic order of architecture of the ancient Greeks is an offshoot of the Assyrian and Phoenician forms which have the lotus as their basis.
Nelumbo nucifera is a wholly edible species. Its seeds are roasted to make puffs called makhanas. The plant’s rhizomes are a source of lotus meal which is rich in starch. In fact is American counterpart, Nelumbo petapetala was source of starchy diet for the American Indians. A number of wild animals feed on the plant. Fish find refuge in its underwater stalks.
