Nymphaea Caerulea (Blue Lotus)

 

Nymphaea caerulea, also known as the Egyptian Blue Lily or Sacred Blue Lotus, is a blue water-lily in the genus Nymphaea that grows along the Nile, amongst other locations (eg. Thailand). Nymphaea caerulea is distantly related to, and is believed to possess similar activity as Nelumbo nucifera.

Recent studies have shown Nymphaea caerulea to have psychoactive properties, and may have been used as a sacrament in ancient Egypt and certain ancient South American cultures. Dosages of 5 to 10 grams of the flowers induces slight stimulation, a shift in thought processes, enhanced visual perception, and mild closed-eye visuals. These psychoactive effects make Nymphaea caerulea a likely candidate (among several) for the lotus plant eaten by the mythical Lotophagi in Homer's Odyssey.

According to Shaman Australis, (2009), "Nymphaea nouchali has featured heavily in Egyptian history. The goddess Isis is said to have pointed out that the rhizomes were edible. Pharaohs were buried with them and their pyramids adorned with images of them. There is also evidence, in the form of a painting in a tomb dating back to 3000-2500 BCE, that nymphaeas were deliberately cultivated in square, evenly spaced beds fed by canals."

Nymphaea caerulea is Uncontrolled in the United States, however, it is not approved for human consumption.