Nelumbo Nucifera (Lotus): A Review on Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

China and India have long utilized the perennial aquatic plant Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (Nymphaeaceae) as a medicinal herb. For over 400 years, it has been mentioned in China's most renowned medical text. In traditional medicine, several plant parts, including leaves, seeds, flowers, and rhizomes, might be utilized. The various plant parts are said to have positive effects in traditional medicine, including treating pharyngoplasty, pectoralgia, spermatorrhoea, leukoderma, smallpox, dysentery, cough, asthma, epistaxis, haemoptysis, hemouria, metrorrhagia, hyperlipidaemia, fever, cholera, hepatopathy, and hyperdipsia. Lotus seeds are special because of their longevity. According to studies, they possess psychopharmacological, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, hypoglycaemic, anti-analgesic, anti-Parkinsonian, anti-reproductive, and antidermatophyte qualities. The traditional use, phytochemistry, and medicinal data on the various components of N. nucifera, specifically the leaves, rhizomes, seeds, and flowers. The various chemicals that were separated from various plant sections and the medicinal benefits derived from these plant constituents are also described in this research. Given their high fibre, starch, vitamin, and mineral content, there may be promising prospects for further development and use as functional ingredients and additives in the food sector. It is necessary to research the lotus plant's qualities in order to use it as a functional ingredient in the food industry, such as flour for bakeries, antioxidants, baby food, extruded goods, beverages, etc., particularly the lotus plant's rhizome properties.