Water Lily

Nymphaea alba

COMMON NAMES

• Water Lily

Water lilies are aquatic perennials growing from an underwater stem, which is buried in the mud and sends down rootlets for anchorage. The water lily has round, leathery leaves, deeply notched at the base, and a multi petaled white blossom (June-September). The yellow pond lily has heart-shaped leaves and produces a cup-shaped yellow blossom (May-October).

The Latin name is an allusion to the nymphs - minor divinities of Greek mythology who inhabited natural places, including streams, rivers, and lakes. Like some nymphs, the flowers of this family are not only beautiful but live in water. Often a small pool is covered with water lilies, and occasionally an entire pond is filled with their bobbing heads.

One of the best-known family members is the common water lily, which has been prescribed as an anaphrodisiac, or agent that inhibits sexual drive. (It may be that the chaste-looking blossom emerging from a murky pond suggested the plant's application for cooling ardor.) Nymphaea alba shares many medicinal properties with the yellow pond lily, a close relative belonging to the genus Nuphar. Both plants contain tannin and mucilage and have been employed as astringents to halt diarrhea and as demulcents to help soothe irritated, sore throats. The rootstock of the yellow pond lily, bruised and steeped in milk, is said to kill beetles and cockroaches, and the smoke of the rootstock will drive away crickets.

PARTS USED

Rhizome, flowers.

USES

The rhizome of the water lily is astringent and antiseptic. A decoction treats dysentery or diarrhea due to irritable bowel syndrome. Water lily has also been employed to treat bronchial congestion and kidney pain, and taken as a gargle for sore throats. The rhizome may be used to make a douche for vaginal soreness and discharge, or to make a poultice -often in combination with slippery elm or linseed - for boils and abscesses. Water lily flowers have long to been reputed to reduce sexual drive. Their generally calming and sedative effect on the nervous system makes them useful in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, and other disorders where nervous agitation is a factor.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to Europe, water lily is found in ponds and in still water in lakes, rivers, and canals. The rhizome is gathered in autumn.

CONSTITUENTS

The rhizome contains alkaloids (nymphaeine and nupharine), resin, glycosides, and tannins.

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