The flowers, seeds, young leaves and rhizomes, and stems are all edible. In Asia, the petals are sometimes used as a garnish while large round leaves serve as plates. In Korea, preparing herbal teas made from lotus, like yeonkkotcha, made from dried petals of white lotus and yeonipcha made from the leaves. The rhizome, fairly fibrous and tasteless, is used as a vegetable. It’s called liánǒu Chinese, Cantonese, Ngau, bhe in some parts of India and Pakistan, renkon Japanese and Korean yeongeun. One can extract a starch used to prepare soups, cooked with water and add to soups, fry, sauté or braise. The petals, leaves and rhizomes can be eaten raw, but there is a risk of transmitting parasites. Therefore it is advisable to drink boiled.
Rhizome covered with fried rice paste

The Chinese have long known that the lotus rhizomes are very healthy. Recent studies have confirmed that they are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, copper and manganese and low in saturated fatty acid.

The stamens can be dried into a fragrant herbal tea called cha Lianhua in China or to flavor the tea leaves in Vietnam. The seeds (achenes) of lotus liánzzĭ called in Chinese, are very versatile and can be eaten raw, roasted like chestnuts or dried and exploded like popcorn. They can also be boiled and pulped, or combined with dried longan to make a sweet soup called tong sui. By adding sugar, lotus seed paste becomes one of the most common ingredients in pastries such as mooncakes, the daifuku and rice flour pudding. Lotus seeds called Phool Mukhana are also used in Indian cuisine.

In China, lotus seeds are also used in the composition of the famous eight treasures rice, as well as in many other dishes.

In Cambodia, street vendors also offer lotus seeds boiled in water.

When consuming the cooked lotus seed, it is recommended to remove the green germ is in the middle of the seed and is very bitter.

Cambodia and Thailand, lotus stalks are used as vegetables in soups and salads or in stir-fries. In Thailand, the producers even offer canned lotus stalks.

The sacred lotus is an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine. All parts of the plant are used. The extract of the rhizome has anti-diabetic and anti-obesity. The lotus seeds are rich in phenols and possess significant antioxidant properties.

The lotus is native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely represented in Indian art and architecture, including Jain temples of Rajasthan. It is the national flower of India and Vietnam as well as the symbol of the BJP, a nationalist political party in India. Hindus associate the lotus flower (Padma) the creation myth, and with the gods Vishnu and Brahma, and the goddesses Lakshmi and Sarasvati. The lotus has always been a divine symbol in Hindu tradition. It is often used as a symbol of divine beauty. Eg, Vishnu is often described as “the eye of the lotus.” The deployment of the lotus petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The emergence of its pure beauty from its muddy origins represents a benign spiritual promise.

In Buddhist symbolism, the lotus represents purity of body, speech and mind, as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The Buddha is often depicted sitting on a leaf or a giant lotus bud. According to legend, he was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he stepped, lotus flowers bloomed.