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Alternate Chinese names: 带壳莲子 dài ké lián zǐ; 壳莲子 ké lián zǐ; 甜石莲 tián shí lián; 壳莲子 ké lián zǐ; 带皮莲子 dài pí lián zǐ

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin in unofficial sources: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.

Use: Medicinal

Properties: Bitter; cold.

Channel entry: Spleen and kidney channels.

Actions and indications: Clears the heart and eliminates vexation. Treats clenched jaw.

Product description: This fruit is removed from the receptacle of the lotus after the plant has been subjected to frost. It is elliptical in shape and 1.5–2 cm long. Its exterior surface is smooth and dark brown and has on it a powdery grayish-white substance. At one end is the round scar left by the stigma, and at the other are residual traces of the hard fruit stalk. The brown pericarp can be removed leaving the seed, which has a yellow brown seed coat. This is called Lián ròu (莲肉 Nelumbinis Semen, lotus seed). The seed itself consists of two cream-colored cotyledons with an embryo, radicle and tender leaf, which are yellowish green in color. The cotyledons are sweet to the taste, and bitter in the green parts. The embryo is called Lián zǐ xīn (莲子心 Nelumbinis Plumula, lotus plumule).

Etymology: The name shí lián zǐ 石莲子 (shí lián zǐ), literally stone lotus seed, reflects the hardness of this seed.

See: Lián ròu (莲肉 Nelumbinis Semen, lotus seed)

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