Lian Xu
StarNelumbo nucifera Gaertn.
Traditionally used for
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Sleep
- Mood & calm
- Heart & circulation
☯ TCM Properties
Tonifies the Kidneys and Secures Essence; Clears Heart Fire; Stops Bleeding; Benefits the Kidneys
Traditional Chinese Uses
Lian Xu (lotus stamen) is a neutral, sweet-astringent herb used in Chinese medicine primarily to consolidate the Kidney Jing and astringes the Heart to calm the Shen. It prevents spermatorrhea, excessive vaginal discharge, and urinary incontinence through its astringent action on the Kidney, and addresses palpitations and insomnia through its calming effect on the Heart. As a food-grade herb taken from the lotus flower, it is among the gentlest of the astringent and calming substances.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Nelumbo nucifera is an aquatic perennial herb in the family Nelumbonaceae, native to Asia and tropical Australia. It grows from a thick rhizome rooted in pond mud, sending up long petioles that bear large, peltate, water-repellent leaves which float on or rise above the water surface. The showy solitary flowers, 15-25 cm across, range from white to deep pink and contain numerous yellow stamens surrounding a distinctive flat-topped receptacle. Lian Xu refers specifically to the dried stamens, which are slender, yellowish filaments topped by linear anthers. After flowering, the receptacle enlarges and embeds hard, ovoid seeds in pitted cavities, completing the plant's distinctive reproductive structure.
Active Constituents
Kaempferol 3-O-glucoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 16.05 mg/g dry weight of a validated stamen ethanolic extract, the most abundant single flavonoid measured
The dominant flavonoid of the stamen. Contributes the bulk of the antioxidant capacity measured in stamen extracts and is one of the constituents active against skin-ageing enzymes in vitro.
Kaempferol 3-O-robinobioside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 10.81 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract
Rutinoside-type kaempferol glycosides of this kind were the most potent rat lens aldose reductase inhibitors among the thirteen flavonoids isolated from the stamen, and this compound had the highest docking scores against three skin-ageing enzymes in a later in silico study.
Kaempferol 3-O-glucuronide
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 8.99 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract
A major glucuronidated flavonol of the stamen, contributing to the extract's radical-scavenging activity.
Myricetin 3-O-glucoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 5.94 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract
One of the seven flavonoids routinely quantified in stamen extracts; a myricetin dimethyl ether glucoside was also isolated from the stamen in the aldose reductase work.
Rutin (quercetin 3-O-rutinoside)
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 4.68 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract
A widely distributed flavonol glycoside present in the stamen at moderate levels; part of the antioxidant flavonoid pool.
Isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside
Flavonol glycoside (methylated flavonol)Concentration: about 4.09 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract
Two isorhamnetin glycosides were isolated from the stamen; the rutinoside form was among the strongest aldose reductase inhibitors identified.
Quercetin 3-O-glucuronide
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: about 3.21 mg/g dry weight of the stamen ethanolic extract, the lowest of the seven flavonoids routinely quantified
Minor flavonol glucuronide of the stamen, isolated and confirmed in the aldose reductase fractionation work.
Arbutin
Hydroquinone glucosideConcentration: isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of a stamen methanol extract; no validated content figure published for the crude drug
A non-flavonoid constituent recovered alongside adenine, myo-inositol and beta-sitosterol glucopyranoside during fractionation of the stamen. Arbutin is a tyrosinase inhibitor, which is consistent with the cosmetic interest in stamen extracts, but nothing about the traditional astringent use turns on it.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Lian Zi Xin (Nelumbo nucifera plumule) supplied as, or mixed into, Lian Xu
Nelumbo nucifera yields at least four separate Chinese medicines from four parts, and their chemistry is not interchangeable. The stamen (Lian Xu) is a flavonol-glycoside drug. The green plumule (Lian Zi Xin) is dominated by the bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids neferine, liensinine and isoliensinine, which are P-glycoprotein substrates, are demethylated by CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, and carry cardiovascular activity that the stamen has no documented equivalent of. Substituting or mixing the parts therefore changes the pharmacology, not just the name on the packet.
Clinical note: Check that what has been supplied is the yellow stamen filament and anther, not the small green embryo. If a prescription is intended to secure essence via the stamen, plumule material is not an acceptable substitute.
Aldose reductase inhibitors (e.g. epalrestat) and other antidiabetic drugs
A methanol extract of Nelumbo nucifera stamens inhibited rat lens aldose reductase, and the kaempferol and isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinosides isolated from it were the most active constituents. This is enzyme-level in vitro work in rat lens tissue; there is no human pharmacokinetic or glycaemic study of the stamen.
Clinical note: No dose adjustment is indicated on this evidence. Treat any claim that Lian Xu manages diabetic complications as unproven in humans.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–5 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～5g。 【性味与归经】甘、涩，平。归心、肾经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 3 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
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
3
1 verified · 2 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Rat lens aldose reductase inhibitory constituents of Nelumbo nucifera stamens
- Validation of a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Photodiode Array Detection Method for the Separation and Quantification of Antioxidant and Skin Anti-Aging Flavonoids from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Stamen Extract
- Exploring Major Flavonoid Phytochemicals from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. as Potential Skin Anti-Aging Agents: In Silico and In Vitro Evaluations
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
Rat lens aldose reductase inhibitory constituents of Nelumbo nucifera stamens
A methanol extract of the stamens inhibited rat lens aldose reductase and was fractionated; the active ethyl acetate fraction yielded thirteen flavonoids (kaempferol and seven of its glycosides, a myricetin dimethyl ether glucoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside and two isorhamnetin glycosides) plus adenine, myo-inositol, arbutin and beta-sitosterol glucopyranoside. Glycosides bearing a 3-O-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-6)-glucopyranoside group, notably the kaempferol and isorhamnetin rutinosides, were the strongest inhibitors.
Validation of a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Photodiode Array Detection Method for the Separation and Quantification of Antioxidant and Skin Anti-Aging Flavonoids from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. Stamen Extract
A validated HPLC-PDA method quantified seven flavonoids in Nelumbo nucifera stamen extracts. The ethanolic stamen extract carried the highest levels, with individual flavonoids from 3.21 to 16.05 mg/g dry weight; kaempferol 3-O-glucoside (16.05 mg/g), kaempferol 3-O-robinobioside (10.81 mg/g) and kaempferol 3-O-glucuronide (8.99 mg/g) dominated. This is the quantitative basis for treating Lian Xu as a kaempferol-glycoside drug.
Exploring Major Flavonoid Phytochemicals from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. as Potential Skin Anti-Aging Agents: In Silico and In Vitro Evaluations
Molecular docking and in vitro assays of the major stamen flavonoids against skin-ageing-related enzymes found kaempferol 3-O-robinobioside the most promising candidate, with the highest docking scores against three of the target enzymes. Relevant to cosmetic development rather than to the herb's traditional astringent indications.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with difficulty in micturition.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 390–395.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596Ben Cao Cong Xin
Qing dynasty, 1757References
- Keshav Raj Paudel, Nisha Panth. Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Nelumbo nucifera . Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2015) [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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