When it comes to most mental health conditions, a healthcare provider will offer prescription medication. However, these often come with side effects that may be worse than initial symptoms. As such, many have turned to herbal alternatives, such as blue lotus.

What is the Blue Lotus Flower?

The blue lotus flower is a water lily that grows in tropical climates along the Eastern African coasts. However, in recent years, its popularity has spread to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Blue Lotus develops along with bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. The lotus can appear in the colors of blue, white, or pink. Still, it’s most commonly in a sky-blue hue. These color schemes have allowed it to serve as a decorative or ornamental piece for art and gardens. ¹

These flowers are edible. Sailors and farmers in southeastern African countries have consumed the blue lotus since the 1800s. Usually, through stews or curries, but it can also be served in teas.

Blue Lotus Flower Effects

Most find that blue lotus gives a euphoric “high,” similar to that of cannabis. These psychotropic effects are due to two alkaloids, apomorphine and nuciferine. They interact with the brain’s pleasure receptors in distinct ways: ²

• Apomorphine connects with a dopamine receptor that interacts with serotonin receptors. This provides the brain with a euphoric and relaxed sensation.

• Nuciferine acts as a deliverer for the apomorphine. This can act as an anticonvulsant and a relaxant.

What Does a Blue Lotus High Feel Like?

While we understand the brain’s reaction, this doesn’t properly detail a blue lotus “high.” Its been reported that blue lotus provides euphoric and relaxing effects. These last between three to five hours (although duration can extend with further use).

Can Blue Lotus Flower Help with Mental Illness?

Blue lotus may prove to be a powerful all-natural alternative for: ³

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia

On top of this, blue lotus may also act as a(n):

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anticonvulsant
• Mood booster

Still, most of these claims are self-reported. Admittedly, there’s only so much research concerning human consumption of blue lotus.

What Does the Research Say?

Currently, the most prominent research concerning blue lotus for mental health conditions include:

• One study sought out how nuciferine affected specific conditions. It found that molecules may ease symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the authors noted that more research was necessary.

• Another study suggests that nuciferine may be able to relieve inflammatory diseases. Many mental health conditions, including depression, involve inflammation of the brain. ⁴

• A 2017 study found that blue lotus liquid extract did not have toxicity in rats. Therefore, it’s concluded it wouldn’t be in people either. On top of this, researchers discovered that blue lotus also had neuroprotective, antioxidant, and immune-boosting properties. ⁵

Is Blue Lotus Legal?

Blue lotus’s legal status currently siting in a grey area. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved of it for any medical use. However, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has not put it on the list of controlled substances.

Blue lotus laws vary by state. Therefore, you should research your own state to better understand whether or not it’s okay for you to purchase the product.

If it is, plenty of retailers offer blue lotus in different forms, including:

• Essential oils
• Incense packages
• Teas
• Tinctures

It’s worth noting that other countries, such as Russia and Latvia, have outright banned blue lotus.

Blue Lotus Dosage Recommendation

When it comes to blue lotus dosing recommendations, guidelines vary depending on the consumption method:

Smoking

You can smoke blue lotus through its dried leaves. Most do so in rolling papers, but other smoking paraphernalia (i.e. pipe) can also be used.

Admittedly, smoking makes it difficult to dose blue lotus. There’s no indication of the amount of apomorphine and nuciferine you receive within dried material. Therefore, you may experience elevated psychoactivity.

Teas

You can also take dried blue lotus flower and mix it into a tea. It’s recommended you use 2-4 grams of dried material per 2 cups of boiled water.

However, you can also purchase pre-packaged teas which are already dosed. These are the best option for newcomers.

Tinctures 

Blue lotus tinctures can be taken on their own or added to food and drinks. For most legal products, a common dose is six to ten drops, up to two times a day. However, you should follow the dosage recommendation on your blue lotus tincture if it differs.

Blue Lotus Side Effects

Currently, most research concerns the short-term side effects of blue lotus. These include: ⁶

• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Hallucinations
• Nausea and vomiting
• Paranoia
• Rapid heartbeat
• Seizures
• Slurred speech

There have been some long-term studies on blue lotus. The most notable discusses how blue lotus affects glucose levels in diabetes. More specifically, blue lotus may lower blood sugar levels and be dangerous if you take medication that already does this. ⁷

On top of that, pregnant or breastfeeding women are advised NOT to take blue lotus. We simply do not have enough information to confirm the safety of women in this category.

Blue Lotus Reviews

Since the sale of blue lotus is unregulated, you need to purchase it from a quality retailer. If you’re not familiar with the market, we have you covered with the best places to buy blue lotus from:

They offer a few options to get blue lotus flowers including: 

• Blue Lotus Flower in a bulk package of dried flower petals. The product is available in weights from 1 to 8 ounces.

• Blue Lotus Powder is blue lotus stems and flower petals grounded in fine powder. It can be added to shakes, and meals and diluted in water.

• Blue Lotus Extract is a water-soluble extract made from blue lotus flower plant material.

Initially, they were known for their kratom products. However, since then, they’ve expanded and now include the following blue lotus options:

• Blue Lotus Flower is a bulk package of dried flower petals. The product is available in different weights from 1 ounce to 1 pound.

• Blue Lotus Powder is the ground-up plant material of blue lotus. Again, it’s available in four weighted options, from 1 ounce to 1 pound.

• Blue Lotus Extract is a 50:1 extract made from blue lotus flower plant material. Kratora’s 50:1 extract takes 50 ounces of flower material and condenses it down into 1 ounce of extract for a higher concentration of the plant’s bioactive components.

These include over 3,000 feminized cannabis varieties, mushroom grow kits, vaporizers, entheogenic herbs and seeds, and cannabidiol (CBD) oils. As for blue lotus, Zamnesia offers the following:

• Blue Lotus Flower are petals of the blue lotus in 10-gram pouches.

• Blue Lotus Extract is a blend of blue lotus materials that’s 20 times stronger than regular leaves. Zamnesia’s Blue Lotus extract also includes a high concentration of aporphine and nuciferine.

• Blue Lotus Resin is a waxy product that contains plant material from the blue lotus flower. To use it, you need to break the resin material into two or three small balls and ingest it with water.

• Blue Lotus Tincture is 15 times more potent than the dried leaves.

Final Word

Due to its psychoactive properties, blue lotus may not be the best option for mental health disorders. Admittedly, its effects can further anxiety and paranoia, ultimately leading to worse conditions.

However, research has found it may relieve symptoms of some conditions and provide euphoria and relaxation.

As such, we recommend using blue lotus with caution. It’s best to start small and work your way up. This will give you an idea of how the plant affects you and how much you’ll need to get to where you want to be.

If you already receive treatment for a mental health condition, you need to consult your healthcare provider before taking blue lotus. While research remains slim, it may have negative interactions with other medications.

References

¹ Bertol E, Fineschi V, Karch SB, Mari F, Riezzo I. Nymphaea cults in ancient Egypt and the New World: a lesson in empirical pharmacology. J R Soc Med. 2004 Feb;97(2):84-5. doi: 10.1177/014107680409700214. PMID: 14749409; PMCID: PMC1079300.

² Poklis JL, Mulder HA, Halquist MS, Wolf CE, Poklis A, Peace MR. The Blue Lotus Flower (Nymphea caerulea) Resin Used in a New Type of Electronic Cigarette, the Re-Buildable Dripping Atomizer. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2017 Jul-Aug;49(3):175-181. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2017.1290304. Epub 2017 Mar 7. PMID: 28266899; PMCID: PMC5638439.

³ Paudel KR, Panth N. Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Nelumbo nucifera. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:789124. doi: 10.1155/2015/789124. Epub 2015 Dec 30. PMID: 27057194; PMCID: PMC4710907.

⁴ Zhang C, Deng J, Liu D, Tuo X, Yu Y, Yang H, Wang N. Nuciferine Inhibits Proinflammatory Cytokines via the PPARs in LPS-Induced RAW264.7 Cells. Molecules. 2018 Oct 22;23(10):2723. doi: 10.3390/molecules23102723. PMID: 30360404; PMCID: PMC6222486.

⁵ Kameni Poumeni M, Bilanda DC, Dzeufiet Djomeni PD, Mengue Ngadena YS, Mballa MF, Ngoungoure MC, Ouafo AC, Dimo T, Kamtchouing P. Safety assessment of the aqueous extract of the flowers of Nymphaea lotus Linn (Nymphaeaceae): Acute, neuro- and subchronic oral toxicity studies in albinos Wistar rats. J Complement Integr Med. 2017 Mar 24;14(2):/j/jcim.2017.14.issue-2/jcim-2016-0046/jcim-2016-0046.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2016-0046. PMID: 28291734.

⁶ Schimpf M, Ulmer T, Hiller H, Barbuto AF. Toxicity From Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) After Ingestion or Inhalation: A Case Series. Mil Med. 2021 Aug 4:usab328. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usab328. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34345890.

⁷ Kim AR, Jeong SM, Kang MJ, Jang YH, Choi HN, Kim JI. Lotus leaf alleviates hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in animal model of diabetes mellitus. Nutr Res Pract. 2013 Jun;7(3):166-71. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2013.7.3.166. Epub 2013 Jun 3. PMID: 23766876; PMCID: PMC3679324.