Recipe
Lotus leaf tea (trà lá sen)
- Herb:
- Sacred lotus Nelumbo nucifera
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Break dried lotus leaf into pieces and put a tablespoon into a small pot.
- Pour over 300 ml of water at about 90 °C (just off the boil).
- Steep for 5–8 minutes; the drink is golden green, lightly astringent and grassy.
- Strain. In Vietnam it is drunk after meals, warm or over ice; a mint leaf goes well.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 polévková lžíce sušeného nakrájeného listu na 300 ml
- Solvent:
- voda 90 °C, 5–8 minut
- Shelf life:
- vypít týž den, dobrý i chlazený
- Target compounds:
- flavonoidy (kvercetin, isokvercitrin) a alkaloidy (nuciferin) přecházejí do horké vody; nápoj je lehce svíravý
Notes
An everyday Vietnamese and Chinese drink. Lotus leaf contains alkaloids (nuciferine) — a tea for now and then, not litres a day, and tradition tends to skip lotus leaf and heart in pregnancy.
Why it works
Hot water releases flavonoids and part of the alkaloids from the leaf. The traditional 'lightening' reputation of the leaf is recorded in Chinese and Vietnamese materia medica; the Paudel & Panth review summarises mostly laboratory data, clinical evidence is lacking.
Literature
- Paudel KR, Panth N (2015): Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Nelumbo nucifera. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2015:789124 — Přehled složení jednotlivých částí lotosu a tradičního použití; klinických dat minimum.
Related
Sacred lotus — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail