INDIAN LOTUS PLANT – SURPRISING FACTS
There are two types of Lotus Brahma white colour flower and Lakshmi Goddess pink flower. It is a national flower of Taiwan and India. It is well respected and adored by Egyptians and Chinese. It is a symbol of purity, truth, ever flowing life. It is also believed to attract wealth and peace, harmony in the family. All parts of it are edible raw as well as cooked. The lotus plant is able to regulate its own temperature.
Professor Sabeeha Merchant was part of a team of 70 scientists from the U.S., China, Australia and Japan who have sequenced and annotated the genome of the “sacred lotus,” believed to have a powerful genetic system that repairs genetic defects. This information may hold secrets about aging successfully. The research was published on 4th May, 2013. The scientists sequenced more than 86 percent of the nearly 27,000 genes of the plant, Nelumbo nucifera, which is revered in China and elsewhere as a symbol of spiritual purity and longevity.
“The lotus genome is an ancient one, and we now know its ABCs,” said Jane Shen-Miller, one of three corresponding authors of the research and a senior scientist with UCLA’s Center for the Study of Evolution and the Origin of Life. “Molecular biologists can now more easily study how its genes are turned on and off during times of stress and why this plant’s seeds can live for 1,300 years. This is a step toward learning what anti-aging secrets the sacred lotus plant may offer.”
Shen-Miller said the lotus’ genetic repair mechanisms could be very useful if they could be transferred to humans or to crops — such as rice, corn and wheat — whose seeds have life spans of only a few years. “If our genes could repair disease as well as the lotus’ genes, we would have healthier aging. We need to learn about its repair mechanisms, and about its biochemical, physiological and molecular properties, but the lotus genome is now open to everybody.” Step two would be identifying which of these genes contributes to longevity and repairing genetic damage. Step three would be potential applications for human health, if we find and characterize those genes. The genome sequence will aid in future analysis. Some of the duplicated genes retain their original structure and function, and others gradually adapt and take on new functions. If those changes are beneficial, the genes persist; if they’re harmful, they disappear from the genome. The genome of most other eudicots triplicated 100 million years ago, but the researchers found that the lotus experienced a separate, whole-genome duplication about 65 million years ago.
In the early 1990s, Shen-Miller led a UCLA research team that recovered a viable lotus seed that was almost 1,300 years old from a lake bed in northeastern China. It was a remarkable discovery, given that many other plant seeds are known to remain viable for just 20 years or less.
Shen-Miller said experts in aging and stress will be eager to study the lotus genes because of the plant’s extraordinary longevity. “The lotus can age for 1,000 years, and even survives freezing weather,” she said. “Its genetic makeup can combat stress. Most crops don’t have a very long shelf life. But starches and proteins in lotus seeds remain palatable and actively promote seed germination, even after centuries of aging.”
The lotus’ unusual genetics give it some unique survival skills. Its leaves repel grime and water, its flowers generate heat to attract pollinators and the coating of lotus fruit is covered with antibiotics and wax that ensure the viability of the seed it contains.
Further, the Lotus flower beholds a secret meaning and significance that makes it a sacred beauty. Unlike the other flowering plants, Lotus life cycle is different. With its roots padlock in the mud, the flower gets submerged into the water at night and re-blooms the next morning, sparkling clean. That’s the reason why in many cultures, Lotus significance is of re-birth, reemergence, and spiritual enlightenment.
Apart from its aesthetic value, the entire lotus plant is of considerable economic and medicinal value as well. Every part of the plant is consumable. The petals are often used for ornamental purposes like garnishing. The mature leaves are often used for packaging as well as serving food. In India, serving food on a lotus leaf is considered beneficial for health. The rhizome and leaf stalks are used as vegetables in most East Asian countries like China, Korea and Indonesia. The rhizome is boiled, sliced and fried, used in salads, pickled in vinegar. It is rich in fiber, contains Vitamins like B1, B2, B6, and C, essential minerals like potassium, manganese, phosphorous and copper. The lotus seed are also quite popular as nuts and are often eaten raw. They may also be fried or dry roasted to produce a sort of popcorn known as phool makhana. Lotus seed paste is a common ingredient in Asian desserts like mooncakes, rice flour pudding and daifuku.
The lotus has several curative properties in traditional medicine. The lotus tea brewed using the flower is used to relieve cardiac ailments. It also has detoxifying properties and helps stop blood flow in injuries. The lotus root is good for the general wellness of stomach and reproductive organs. It is good for healthy development of foetus during pregnancy. The lotus root is used in remedying health problems like throat complications and pigmentation problems in skin. It is also used to treat infections like small pox, and diarrhoea. The lotus seed is good for kidney and spleen. The lotus leaves are used to wrapping other food items and it helps preserve their freshness.