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The Botanical Journal

What is Blue Lotus?

Nymphaea caerulea · the sacred water lily
2 min read Ritual Serene

Blue Lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) is a water lily the ancient Egyptians held sacred, valued not for how it looked but for how it made them feel, a soft, dreamy body-calm. Not sleep, but the exhale just before it.

The flower that floated in the Nile

Ancient Egyptians considered Blue Lotus sacred. It appeared in their art, their ceremonies and their tombs, not because it was decorative, but because of how it made them feel: a soft body calm, a quiet that lets you think clearly.

Blue Lotus, Nymphaea caerulea, the sacred water lily
Nymphaea caerulea, Blue Lotus, as we use it in Ritual Serene.

What Blue Lotus feels like

Not sleep, the exhale before sleep. A gentle loosening of the body and a quieting of the mind. It’s the dreamy note at the heart of Ritual Serene.

Not sleep. The exhale just before it.

What’s inside Blue Lotus

Blue Lotus owes its character to gentle plant compounds, chiefly nuciferine and apomorphine, long associated with its soft, calming quality.

NuciferineApomorphine

Is Blue Lotus safe and legal?

Blue Lotus is legal to buy and enjoy in South Africa, and at the gentle amounts used in food and drink it’s mild and non-intoxicating.

A note on wellbeing

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor before use. Blue Lotus is a botanical enjoyed for everyday wellbeing. It is not a medicine, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.

Meet Blue Lotus in a glass

Ritual Serene

15ml sachetBlueberry & mint10 per cylinder

In Ritual Serene, Blue Lotus brings the dreamy calm, the soft exhale alongside Passionflower and Lemon Balm, in a 15ml sachet that blooms into colour when it meets water.

Explore Ritual Serene

Blue Lotus, quickly

What is Blue Lotus used for?

Blue Lotus is traditionally used for a soft, dreamy calm, a relaxed body and a quiet mind. The ancient Egyptians valued it in ceremony for exactly this feeling.

Is Blue Lotus legal in South Africa?

Yes. Nymphaea caerulea is legal to buy and enjoy in South Africa and is used in food, drink and wellbeing products.

Does Blue Lotus get you high?

No. At the gentle amounts used in food and drink, Blue Lotus is mild and non-intoxicating, a soft calm rather than a high.

Is Blue Lotus safe?

In modest amounts it is well tolerated. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor before use.

Where does Blue Lotus come from?

Blue Lotus is a water lily long associated with ancient Egypt, where it was considered sacred and appeared throughout Egyptian art and ceremony for thousands of years.