Lotus is best taken with alcohol, but personally I would use small ammounts of high proof alcohol before I drank it with wine.
Maybe put some in the bottom of shot glass and let it sit for a couple of days and then drink it? (there isnt tons of info on the net about blue lotus but here are some links I have saved......
http://www.healthherbs.com/products/singleherbtinctures/3021.html http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/lotus.htm http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/leaflets/lotus.htm http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_profile.cgi?symbol=NYCA3(very cool!!!!!!!!!) http://www.alchemy-works.com/seed_index.html http://bluelotushouse.com/about.htm http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/lotus_sacred.html http://healing.about.com/gi/dynamic/offs...r%2Fnight-4.htm http://www.ghen.net/hindufaq/cache/39.html http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/12423.0/CategoryID/1000.0/SubCatID/2480.0 http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefslotus.htm http://www.khandro.net/nature_plants_lotus.htm http://home.online.no/~luneng/lotus.htm http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/b.html
Lotuses are perhaps the most spectacular plants in aquatic environments. The Chinese say that, once having seen the growing lotus, you never forget it. The lotus flowers have color from red, pink, pale yellow to creamy white. A separate, long, tubular stalk supports each flower and each large round leaf. The sacred Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, is an extreme important spiritual symbol in Eastern religions. It represents purity, divine wisdom, and the individual?s progress from the lowest to the highest state of consciousness. Seeded in muddy waters, the lotus rises above the mud and produces beautiful and fragrant flowers. The big showy bloom may be 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in diameter. The flowers open for just three days. Then each petal falls silently into the water, one by one, at a short period. The large green seed head or pod remains on the top of the stalk for a long time, and gradually turning to dark color and ripe. The seeds impeded in the cone-shape pod with flat surface at the top. The pod then reverts to the water, where it floats face down, allowing seeds to take hold in the mud. The seeds then germinate in the following Spring and give rise to new lotus plants. All parts of lotus are edible. The immature seeds can be eaten raw or cooked, they have chestnut like flavor. Ripe seeds are roasted and ground into flour, or boiled to extract oil. Lotus roots produce starchy tubers and have the flavor of sweet potato. The young, unrolled leaves are cooked as a vegetable. Lotus seeds have very hard, impermeable seed coats, and can remain viable for very long time. Sacred Lotus seeds, the most long-lived of all angiosperm seeds, have been known to germinate after more than 400 years! American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) can germinate after a dormancy of 200 years, and recently, lotus seeds of 1,200 years <lotus_seeds.htm> from China had been germinated! What's an incredible plant!
Lotus, Sacred Nelumbo nucifera Family: Nympheaeceae <NEW FOR 1999!> Aquatic perennial. Native to India and Pakistan. This is the sacred water lily from which Padmasambhava was born. The flower is among the most beautiful on earth, floating among the pad-shaped leathery leaves, some of which rest on the water surface, and others rising from the water, borne on thick stems. All parts of the plant are used medicinally. The seed is demulcent and nutritive. The flowers are cooling and sedative. The root is also a demulcent. The leaves are made into an astringent poultice. Cultivation: Easy. File carefully the rounder end of the seed until the white endosperm is just exposed and drop into a gallon jar or aquarium. The container should be prepared in advance, with mud and rock on the bottom to simulate a pond. Germinates in 3 to 5 days. Un-filed seeds will not germinate, but still maintain their germinability for up to a century. Once the plumule and radicle emerge from the seed, provide bright light and warmth. Multiple stems reach up to the water surface and form tiny pads. Roots reach down to find purchase among the mud and the stones. Eventually, the plant may be transplanted to a pond. Lotus is cold hardy as long as the rhizome itself, sunk in the mud at the bottom of the pond, does not freeze. An alternative method of cultivation is to file the seeds and bury them directly in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Stems will arise from the seed to a height of at least 3 feet. We never tried one that didn?t sprout. The germination of Lotus is so dependable so quick and so FUN, that it can be turned into an incredible learning tool for home schoolers or community schools, from beginning earth-science classes to advanced botany. A few good questions for the science class: Why does the seed with the pierced seedcoat germinate, and the whole seed not? How do you think this plant reproduces in nature? What kind of oxygen requirement is necessary for the germination of Lotus? Is this typical of all seeds?... Drawing the various developmental stages of Lotus is a good adjunct activity, and can be a very worthwhile subject for art classes or to hone botanical illustrating skills. One warning--goldfish will eat the developing plants if there is a lack of other (less exotic) fodder.
Latin Name: Nelumbo nucifera Common Name: Sacred water lotus Family: Nelumbonaceae Synonyms: Cultivation Details: Requires a rich loam[1]. Succeeds in water up to 2.5 metres deep[200]. In cooler climates, however, it should be grown in shallower water, though no less than 30 cm deep, which will warm up more quickly and encourage better growth and flowering[200]. Plants are resentful of root disturbance and should be planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible[200]. Once established, they can become invasive when growing in suitable conditions[238]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties some of which have been developed for their edible uses[183]. Most forms are not hardy outdoors in Britain but some, especially those from far eastern provenances are much hardier and will possibly succeed outdoors in favoured areas of Britain[200]. This is the sacred Lotus of India and it is much cultivated as a food plant in the Orient[1, 2].
Propagation Notes: Seed - file the seed across its centre, being very careful not to damage the flesh of the seed, and soak in warm water, changing the water twice a day until signs of germination are seen, which should be within 3 - 4 weeks at 25?c. Plant in individual pots just covered in water and increase the depth as the plant grows. Division in spring as the plant comes into growth. Be very careful, the plants deeply resent root disturbance[200].
Hindu scriptures say that the Atman dwells in the lotus within the heart. Visualize within yourself a lotus, centered right within the center of your chest, right within your heart. Try to mentally feel and see the heart as a lotus flower right within you. Within the center of the lotus, try to see a small light. Hindu scriptures state that the Atman within the heart looks like a brilliant light about the size of your thumb--just a small light. This light is an emanation of your effulgent being. It is dwelling right within. The Self God is deeper than that. The lotus is within the heart, and the Self God dwells deep within that lotus of light.
Common Names: Sacred Blue Lilly of the Nile, Blue Lotus, Sacred Narcotic Lily of the Nile, Blue Water Lilly, Egyptian Lotus, Lady of the Nile, Ninfa,& Quetzalaxochiacatl. Family: Nemphaeaceae Genus: Nympaea Species: caerulea, nouchali var. caerulea Habitat: In Egypt the sacred blue water lilly grows along the Nile. The blue lotus is indigenous to Egypt, Tanzania & Kenya, where it thrives along lakes and rivers in wet soil. Biochemical Constituents: Aporphine, apomorphine, which is a dopamine agonist, nornuciferine and nuciferine, which is an anti spasmodic. Uses: Hypnotic, sedative, euphoric, anti spasmodic. History: In Egypt, Blue Lotus flower was considered to be a magical, sacred flower and, as such, it appears as a common motif in numerous ancient Egyptian paintings. Many scholars have speculated that the divine flower was used in order to induce an ecstatic state, stimulation, and/or hallucinations. Many of the blue lotus paintings suggest that the flower was used in shamanic rituals as a narcotic and that it was often used by priests, priestesses and Monarchs to reach ecstatic, meditative states of consciousness. In fact, this enchanting flower was found sprinkled over top of the Pharaoh, Tutankhamen's body, when his tomb was discovered in 1922. "I am he who rises and lights up wall after wall, each thing in succession. There will not be a day that lacks its owed illumination. Pass on, O creatures, pass on, O world! Listen! I have ordered you to! I am the cosmic water lily that rose shining from Nun's black primordial waters, and my mother is Nuit the night sky. O you who made me, I have arrived, I am the great ruler of Yesterday, the power of command is in my hand." -- Spell 42, The Book of the Dead The Egyptians believed their souls were born "like a water lily reopening", and described death as a closed water lily, who was waiting for the morning sun to re-open it's glorious pedals. "In the beginning were the waters of chaos ... Darkness covered the waters until ... the Primeval Water Lily rose from the abyss. Slowly the blue water lily opened its petals to reveal a young god sitting in its golden heart. A sweet perfume drifted across the waters and light streamed from the body of this Divine Child to banish universal darkness. This child was the Creator, the Sun God, the source of all life." -- The Waters of Chaos, Ancient Society The god of the blue water lily was Nefertem, lord of the sun, beautification, healing and perfume. The flowers were used for their alluring fragrance by the Egyptians which, it was beleived, gave one a sense of peace and euphoria. The blue lotus was known in Egypt as a symbol of the universe, fertility and sexuality. It was also depicted in many paintings as a sacred aphrodisiac, which suggests it may have been used in this way. 'And I will say to Ptah, Lord of Truth: "Give me my fair one tonight." The river is like wine. The god Ptah, is its tuft of reeds, The goddess Sekhmet, is its bouquet of flowers, The goddess Yadyt is its water lily bud, The god Nefertem, is its opened water lily. My love will be happy! The dawn illuminates her beauty." -- 19th Dynasty Love Poem, Harris 500 papyrus Horus's 4 sons who, it was believed, protected different organs of the body; Imsety, protector of the liver, Hapy, protector of the lungs, Duamutef, protector of the stomach and Qebehsenuef, protector of the intestines - are sometimes depicted in paintings standing on a blue lotus flower. A myth about the goddess Isis tells how she was the first to have discovered that the rhizomes of the blue lotus were actually edible! The blue lotus Genus name, nymphaea, is a transliteration of a Greek word, which Plato & Aristotle's disciple, Theophrastus, used to describe the breath-taking water lillies. According to Theophrastus, around the time of 300 B.C.E., men and women living in Greece began making offerings of the sacred blue lotus flower to honor the Nymphs and beautiful maidens of the divine waters. Traditional Dose: The flowers are soluble in alcohol and were often soaked in wine (5 grams per bottle) for several hours before drinking. The dried leaves can also be smoked or drunk as a tea, using 5 grams if one wants to feel the full effects of the experience and less if one just desires a mild effect for tasting. The flowers are edible as well and are wonderful in salads and on top of desserts! Written by: Renee Boje Sources: -- "Plants of the Gods" By Hoffman, Schultes & Ratsch <http://www.erowid.org/library/books/plants_of_the_gods.shtml> "The Sacred Journey in Dynastic Egypt: Shamanistic Trance in the Context of the Narcotic Water Lily and the Mandrake", by Dr William Emboden <http://www.erowid.org/plants/bluelotus/bluelotus_journal1.shtml> "The Egyptian 'Lotus' Nymphaea Caerulea, the Blue Water Lily", by Caroline Seawright <http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/egypt_waterlily.html> "Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f. var. caerulea (Sav.) Verdc." by Cherise Viljoen and Alice Notten <http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/nymphnouch.htm> Brilliant Website: http://www.erowid.org <http://www.erowid.org> Blue Lotus Flower - $1.50/gram Links: Erowid - Blue Lotus Vault <http://www.erowid.org/plants/bluelotus/bluelotus.shtml>
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