Blue Lotus

Nymphaea caerulea
Active ingredients: nuciferine and aporphine

This species of water lily is believed to originate in East Africa. Once common growing in the shallows of the Nile, today it is extremely rare in the wild.

Easily propagated, it had spread to other locations even in ancient times such as the Indian subcontinent and Thailand, where today it is commercially farmed.

Also known as the blue Egyptian lotus, blue (Egyptian) water lily and sacred blue lily (of the Nile), the Blue Lotus featured prominently in ancient Egyptian art, especially in the tomb of Tutenkhamun, whose mummified body was found garlanded with the flowers when his tomb was opened.

Until the late 1990s it had been regarded as purely symbolic (of the sun god Ra) by archeologists; there is no proof in any papyrii that the Egyptians knew it was psychoactive.

Evidence that they did comes from the fact that the lotus is often depicted in scenes along with other powerful plants, or in ‘party’ scenes of wine and debauchery.

It was not until 1998 that it was demonstrated to have a consciousness-altering effect, by Professor Andrew Sharrett in his TV documentary Sacred Weeds. Participants in the programme demonstrated relaxed body with active mind, were chatty with an elevated feeling of well-being.

The reported effects are quite subtle: a pleasant feeling of warmth around the head and upper body; a comfortable, dreamy feeling and an expanded state of consciousness, mildly sedative and euphoric.

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