Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali) : An Ancient Treasure of Food and Medicine

Patel Uzma*, Patil Bhagyashri , Pardeshi Shivani

JIIU’s Ali Allana College of Pharmacy Akkalkuwa, Dist-Nandurbar -425415, Maharashtra, India

*Correspondence: pateluzma111@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.71431/IJRPAS.2025.4208  

INTRODUCTION

In spite of not being a lotus, the blue waterlily, also known as the Indian blue lotus, is a type of water lily that grows widely over the Indian subcontinent. The flower's center is a pale golden hue, while the petals are blue. Traditional medical systems make considerable use of this plant as a rasayana, vajikarana treatment, and to treat Prameha, Shopha, YakritVikara, Mutrakricha, and Pradararoga illnesses. Because of its Tikta (Bitter taste) Rasa, it is helpful in all rakta and pittaja ailments in addition to the guna of agnivardhana. According to ancient Ayurvedic writings, bitter herbs were employed to relieve pitta, fever, and heat.One Bitter herbs are the finest for lowering mercury, cleansing the liver, chilling pitta, and sedating.

History

Along with magnolias and buttercups (Ranunculus), the Nymphaeaceae family of water lilies is an ancient and evolutionary primordial family that is a member of the Ranales order. Furthermore, it seems that nymphaeas have not changed much over the past 160 million years, based on fossil evidence. All of their travels have been in the temperate and tropical parts of the world. Another well-known genus in this family is the Giant Amazon Water Lily, also known as Victoria.

Both tropical and temperate parts of the planet are home to the roughly 40 species that make up the genus Nymphaea. Due to the fact that various populations or color varieties have been identified as separate species that have subsequently been combined into one, as well as the fact that the same plants have occasionally been given numerous species . [4]

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Synonyms

Ayurvedic properties

Rasa: Madhura has a sweet flavor, while Tikta has an astringent one. Snigdha Guna (property): Sheeta's Unconditional Cold: Potency, or Veerya Vipaka (the result): Madhura, my love Effect: Kaphapittashamaka (Doshagnata) [1].

Phytochemistry

[3, 14–18] Whole plant solvent extracts contain flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, and sterols. Nymphayol (25,26-dinorcholest-5-en3b-ol), a lead compound, and a novel sterol are isolated from a floral extract using consecutive chloroform. Mucilage, tannins, pentosan, and protein are all found in seeds. Astragalin, corilagin, gallic acid methyl ester, isokaempferide, quercetin-3-methyl ether, 3-o-methylquercetin-3'-o-beta dextroxylopyranoside, 2,3,4,6-tetra-o-galloyl dextroglucose, and kaempferol are among the substances found in the plant's flower. Gallic acid has been quantitatively measured from hydroalcoholic dried flower extract using the HPTLC method. The following was discovered by the proximate analysis: • Dry Matter: -8.4% minerals, ash, fat, fiber , crude protein, and nitrogen-free extract (35.4). The ratios of calcium to phosphorus are 1.63, potassium is 2.23, sodium is 1.19, phosphorus is 0.32, and calcium is 0.52. Additionally.

Pharmacological actions

Antimicrobial activities

Antimicrobial activity was tested using a disc diffusion technique. Bacterial susceptibility is tested using Mueller Hinton Agar, while fungal susceptibility is tested using potato dextrose broth. The antibacterial activity of NHS extract is influenced by the microorganisms studied and the various concentrations used. The inhibitory zone has a diameter between 8 and 25 mm. NHS extract is extremely vulnerable to almost all microorganisms, though in different amounts. Even at a very low dose of 62.5μg/ml, the crude extract demonstrated substantial inhibitory activity against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and V. cholera, according to current research. At 125μg/ml of extract, the growth of E. Faecalis was inhibited. The NHS extract effectively inhibited P. aeruginosa (20 mm) at a dosage of 500μg/ml. [6]

Antifungal activity

The NHS extract dramatically reduced fungus growth in all tested species as compared to the standard amphotericin B. C. albicans, which has a diameter of 19 mm, exhibits the greatest fungal inhibitory effects when tested against NHS extract out of five fungi. [5]

Antihepatotoxic activity 

The extract may have an antihepatotoxic effect through stabilizing cell membranes, promoting hepatic cell regeneration, and activating antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. It also prevented mortality and CCl4-induced increases in liver weight and volume, and it significantly reduced the lengthening of sleep. Extract also inhibits liver necrosis and increases liver production. Rats that received varying oral dosages of Nymphaea stellata wild flower for ten days showed hepatoprotection against the increase in serum bilirubin, liver lipid peroxidation, and marker enzymes brought on by carbon tetrachloride. This medication results in a decrease in liver glutathione, liver glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glycogen.

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity :[6]Aconitine's potent analgesic effects were demonstrated in mice that were made to writhe. Furthermore, it was shown that carrageenin has an antipyretic effect on rat paw edema. The effect of anti-inflammatory activity was comparable to that of hydrocortisone. advantages in preventing diabetes  Oral administration of Nymphayol to STZ-diabetic rats resulted in a considerable recovery and near-normal plasma insulin and glucose levels after 45 days. The diabetic pancreas treated with nymphayol had a higher number of insulin-positive β-cells, according to immunocytochemical staining and light microscopy. The activity of Nymphayol, which causes β-cells to secrete more insulin, may be the result of the damaged endocrine tissue being reversed, according to the insulin assay results. Nymphayol's antioxidant defense mechanism improves the protection of pancreatic β-cells.

Antiulcer activity 

Antioxidants, gastric mucus, and PGE2 levels increased in rats pretreated with Nymphayol (NYM) at a dose of 45 mg/kg, while UI, lipid peroxidation, and MPO levels significantly decreased. While pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) markedly rose in rats with ethanol-induced ulcers, interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels dropped. NYM preprocessing resolved any disparities. Compared to the ethanol-induced ulcer group, the NYM pretreatment increased the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 and decreased the pro-apoptotic markers caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. measures to protect DNA  The extract from the Nymphaea nouchali flower (NNF) can scavenge a range of free radicals. [4]

CONCLUSION

That herbal remedies are the primary form of treatment for 85% of people worldwide. N. nouchali has been shown to be a nutritious food that can help treat illnesses since it has a lot of polyphenols, flavonoids, amino acids, sugars, fatty acids, alkaloids, protein, and sterols. In Indian culture, this traditional plant has a number of ceremonial uses in addition to medicinal uses like anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-tumor, antipyretic, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antihepatotoxic, antidiabetic, and antioxidant qualities. The main goal of future pharmaceutical research should be to carefully investigate novel activities and their effectiveness in treating monthly abnormalities, blennorrhea, menorrhagia, and urinary disorders.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to express my special gratitude to Dr. G. J. Khan Principal, JIIU'S Ali Allana College of Pharmacy Akkalkuwa and Management of Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom Akkalkuwa and Management of Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom Akkalkuwa for their continuous motivation and providing all necessary facilities during completion of this work.

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