Traditionally used for
- Colds & fever
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Urinary & fluids
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Summer-Heat and Resolves Dampness; Raises Clear Yang; Cools the Blood and Stops Bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
He Ye (lotus leaf) is a cool, bitter herb used in Chinese medicine to clear Summerheat and dispel Heat from the Exterior, stop bleeding from Blood Heat, and ascend and raise clear Yang Qi. It addresses fever and digestive symptoms from summerheat and damp invasion, as well as certain types of bleeding from Heat in the Blood. Its ability to raise clear Yang makes it useful for diarrhea and digestive weakness from Spleen Qi sinking, and is a classical herb for this pattern in formulas such as He Ye Sheng Yang Tang.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Nelumbo nucifera, the sacred lotus, is a large emergent aquatic perennial in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae, native to a vast area extending from northeastern Australia through tropical and warm-temperate Asia. The plant grows from a thick, jointed, creeping rhizome buried in the muddy bottom of ponds, marshes and slow-moving water. Long petioles arise from each rhizome node and lift the leaves well above the water surface; the leaf blades are nearly circular, peltate, 25 to 90 cm across, with a slightly funnel-like upper surface that is markedly water-repellent due to a wax-papillate cuticle. Solitary, fragrant flowers are borne on stout peduncles standing 1 to 2 meters above the water, 10 to 25 cm across, with many pink, white or rose tepals around a flat, golden-yellow receptacle. As the fruit matures the receptacle enlarges into a characteristic woody, inverted-cone seedpod containing 10 to 30 hard, dark brown ovoid seeds. The mature green leaf gathered in summer is the medicinal He Ye.
Active Constituents
Nuciferine
Aporphine alkaloidConcentration: roughly 0.34-0.63% of the dried leaf across surveyed samples; it is the compound assayed by HPLC in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia monograph for He Ye
The dominant alkaloid of the leaf and its quality marker. Pharmacologically it is not a simple stimulant: it antagonises 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptors, is a partial agonist at D2, an agonist at 5-HT1A and D4, an inverse agonist at 5-HT7 and inhibits the dopamine transporter, a profile close to that of aripiprazole-like antipsychotics.
N-Nornuciferine
Aporphine alkaloidThe second major leaf alkaloid, absorbed and detectable in plasma and brain alongside nuciferine after oral dosing of leaf extract in rats, so it contributes to any central effect of the herb.
Roemerine
Aporphine alkaloidA minor leaf aporphine; about 96 mg was recovered from 4 g of crude leaf extract in one preparative separation. It is the lotus alkaloid most studied for antimalarial and antifungal activity.
Armepavine
1-Benzylisoquinoline alkaloidConcentration: roughly 0.13-0.20% of the dried leaf in surveyed samples
The main simple benzylisoquinoline of the leaf and the biosynthetic precursor of the bis-benzylisoquinolines. Total alkaloid content of the leaf runs from about 0.7 to 1.4% and varies widely with cultivar and origin.
Quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucuronide
Flavonol glycosideTogether with free quercetin, the principal component of the hot-water leaf extract that reduced body fat in the 12-week overweight trial. In cell work the pair promoted triglyceride degradation through inhibition of the cAMP pathway.
Hyperoside (quercetin 3-O-galactoside)
Flavonol glycosideOne of fourteen flavonoids characterised from lotus leaf by LC-MS/MS. The leaf carries the highest flavonoid load of any lotus tissue, and the enriched resin fraction reached 690.5 mg isoquercetin equivalents per gram.
Isoquercitrin (quercetin 3-O-glucoside)
Flavonol glycosideA major leaf flavonol glycoside and the reference standard against which lotus leaf total flavonoid content is expressed. It contributes most of the antioxidant activity measured in leaf fractions.
⚠ Drug Interactions
CYP2D6 substrates (metoprolol, dextromethorphan, tamoxifen, codeine, tricyclic antidepressants)
Ye and colleagues tested lotus leaf alcoholic extract, its fractions and the individual aporphine alkaloids nuciferine, N-nornuciferine and 2-hydroxy-1-methoxyaporphine against five cytochrome P450 isoenzymes in human liver microsomes. The alkaloids were potent inhibitors of CYP2D6 specifically, and the authors concluded that interactions with conventional medicines should be taken into account because the leaf is widely drunk as a slimming tea alongside prescription drugs. The evidence is in vitro; no clinical probe study has been published.
Clinical note: The relevant exposure is not the occasional summerheat decoction but the daily concentrated leaf tea or slimming capsule. Ask specifically about lotus leaf tea in patients on metoprolol, tamoxifen or a tricyclic, and avoid concentrated preparations in CYP2D6 poor metabolisers.
Antipsychotics, dopamine agonists and other centrally acting serotonergic or dopaminergic drugs
Farrell and colleagues profiled nuciferine at more than 30 targets and found antagonism at 5-HT2A (IC50 478 nM), 5-HT2C (131 nM) and 5-HT2B, inverse agonism at 5-HT7, partial agonism at D2 (EC50 64 nM), D5 and 5-HT6, agonism at 5-HT1A and D4, and dopamine transporter inhibition. In rodents it blocked the head-twitch response and discriminative stimulus of a 5-HT2A agonist, substituted for clozapine, and rescued phencyclidine-induced disruption of prepulse inhibition without catalepsy. Nuciferine crosses into brain after oral leaf extract in rats. The clinical significance in humans at dietary or decoction doses is untested.
Clinical note: Do not treat concentrated lotus leaf extracts as pharmacologically neutral in patients on antipsychotics, dopamine agonists for Parkinson's disease, or serotonergic antidepressants. Ordinary culinary and decoction use has no reported problem.
Sibutramine and fibrate hypolipidaemics illegally added to lotus leaf slimming teas and supplements
Lotus leaf is one of the commonest botanical fronts for adulterated weight-loss products. In two surveys of 52 weight-loss supplements bought over the internet, half contained sibutramine, at up to 35 mg per capsule, which is above the maximum licensed dose of the withdrawn drug. Sibutramine is a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor structurally related to amphetamines. Analytical methods have specifically been developed to screen lotus leaf tea for illegally added hypolipidaemic drugs, which tells you how expected the practice is. This is not a property of the herb; it is a property of the market the herb is sold into.
Clinical note: Source lotus leaf as a plain dried herb from a herbal supplier, not as a branded slimming product. Suspect adulteration when a lotus leaf product produces marked appetite suppression, insomnia, palpitations or a rise in blood pressure, and stop it.
Lian Zi Xin (lotus plumule) or Nymphaea caerulea 'blue lotus' products supplied as lotus leaf
Nelumbo nucifera yields at least eight distinct drugs and only the leaf is He Ye. The plumule (Lian Zi Xin) is chemically distinct, dominated by the bis-benzylisoquinolines liensinine, isoliensinine and neferine, neferine being investigated for antiarrhythmic activity, whereas aporphines dominate the leaf. Separately, products sold as blue lotus are Nymphaea caerulea, a water lily in a different family that shares the aporphine nuciferine and is marketed for psychoactive effect; the shared English word lotus and the shared marker alkaloid make the two easy to confuse in supplement supply chains.
Clinical note: Order Folium Nelumbinis by botanical name and part. Do not accept Nymphaea material against a prescription for He Ye, and do not read plumule research as evidence for the leaf.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～10g；荷叶炭3～6g。 【性味与归经】苦，平。归肝、脾、胃经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 6 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
2
1 verified · 1 unverified
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
4
1 verified · 3 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Effects of Nelumbo nucifera Leaf Extract on Obesity
- Identification and characterization of potent CYP2D6 inhibitors in lotus leaves
- In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of the Alkaloid Nuciferine
- Analysis of Flavonoids in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Leaves and Their Antioxidant Activity Using Macroporous Resin Chromatography Coupled with LC-MS/MS and Antioxidant Biochemical Assays
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Fat reducing effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaf extract in overweight patients
A 12-week randomised double-blind trial in 60 overweight adults with BMI between 24 and 28 tested a hot-water extract of sun-dried lotus leaf standardised on quercetin 3-O-glucuronide. Whole-body fat fell significantly in both sexes against control, and men also showed significant reductions in visceral fat and waist circumference. This is the only human trial identified for lotus leaf alone.
Effects of Nelumbo nucifera Leaf Extract on Obesity
The companion preclinical work to the human trial. Quercetin 3-O-glucuronide and quercetin were identified as the key components of the hot-water leaf extract, and were shown in cell culture to promote triglyceride degradation through inhibition of the cAMP pathway. In vivo the extract limited neutral fat accumulation in ICR mice and improved hepatocyte glycogenosis in diabetic KK-Ay mice.
Effects of potato and lotus leaf extract intake on body composition and blood lipid concentration
A small 8-week placebo-controlled trial in 19 female university students, 9 taking a combined potato and lotus leaf extract. Total cholesterol fell significantly; BMI, percent body fat, triglycerides and LDL showed only non-significant downward trends. Because the product combined two plants, nothing here can be attributed to lotus leaf alone, and the sample is very small.
Identification and characterization of potent CYP2D6 inhibitors in lotus leaves
Lotus leaf alcoholic extract, its fractions and its individual aporphine alkaloids were screened against CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4 in human liver microsomes. Inhibition was selective and potent at CYP2D6, and the authors concluded that herb-drug interactions should be considered because the leaf is taken as a slimming tea alongside conventional medicines.
In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of the Alkaloid Nuciferine
A full receptor-profiling and behavioural study of the main lotus leaf alkaloid. Nuciferine antagonises 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C, is a partial agonist at D2 and 5-HT6, an agonist at 5-HT1A and D4, an inverse agonist at 5-HT7 and inhibits the dopamine transporter. In rodents it produced an atypical antipsychotic-like behavioural profile without catalepsy.
Analysis of Flavonoids in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Leaves and Their Antioxidant Activity Using Macroporous Resin Chromatography Coupled with LC-MS/MS and Antioxidant Biochemical Assays
Fourteen flavonoids were identified in lotus leaf by LC-MS/MS after macroporous resin enrichment, five of them reported from the leaf for the first time. The enriched fraction reached 690.5 mg isoquercetin equivalents per gram of total flavonoids and carried the bulk of the antioxidant activity.
Historical Texts
Shi Liao Ben Cao
Tang dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty (1596)Ben Cao Zai Xin
Qing dynastyReferences
- Ming-Ming Wang, Yong-Kun Cheng, Qi Zeng, Yu Wang, Ling Qin, Wei Wang, Ling Chen, Dan He. Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) leaf: A narrative review of its Phytoconstituents, health benefits and food industry applications . Trends in Food Science & Technology (2021) [DOI]
- Caroline Mathon, Anita Ankli, Eike Reich, Stefan Bieri, Philippe Christen. Screening and determination of sibutramine in adulterated herbal slimming supplements by HPTLC-UV densitometry . Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A (2014) [DOI]
- Yuting Wang, Xingjun Xi, Liao Wang, Yisheng Chen. HPTLC-Bioluminescent Bioautography Screening of Herbal Teas for Adulteration with Hypolipidemic Drugs . Biosensors (2023) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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