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Kamala Kesara

Nelumbo nucifera

Kamala Kesara (Nelumbo nucifera) is a plant drug, also called Kamalam, Padma and Kamala.

Key facts
Botanical nameNelumbo nucifera
FamilyNelumbonaceae · other entries in this family
OrderProteales
Also known asKamala Kesara, KamalaKesara
Taxon identifiersGBIF 2882449 · Wikidata Q16528 · NCBI Taxonomy 4432
Names in other languages
Sanskritकमलम् (kamalam), पद्म (padma)
Hindiकमल (kamala), कँवल (kaṁvala)
Tamilதாமரை

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAMALA (flowers of Nelumbo nucifera), Hindi slot "Kamal, Kanwal"; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAMALA (flowers of Nelumbo nucifera), Tamil slot "Tamarai, Thamaraipoo,..."; Names of Plants in India:: Nelumbo nucifera, Tamil "தாமரை Tamarai".; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAMALA monograph (dried flowers of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.), Sanskrit slot "Abja, Aravinda, Padma, Kalhara, Sitopala, Pankaja"; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KAMALA monograph (flowers of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.), Hindi slot "Kamal, Kanwal"; Names of Plants in India:: Nelumbo nucifera, Hindi "कमल Kamal".; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, monograph headed KAMALA, flowers of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.; Names of Plants in India:: Nelumbo nucifera, Sanskrit "कमलम् Kamalam".. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2009 to 2025, every one with a DOI.

  • 1Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • 1Randomised controlled trials
  • 10Other clinical studies and reviews

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishKamala Kesara

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)Kashaya, MadhuraPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)Laghu, RukshaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)MadhuraPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Capsule, Lepa (paste for external use), Taila (oil), Kashayam (decoction)

Standard Dosage: 1-3 g of powder twice daily; 5-10 mL decoction twice daily

Optimal Timing: After meals for gastrointestinal comfort; morning and evening for reproductive health applications

Storage: Store in airtight, light-resistant containers at 15-25°C. Relative humidity below 60%. Protect from direct sunlight to prevent degradation of carotenoid pigments.

Marker Compounds: Kaempferol, Quercetin, Myricetin glycosides, Beta-carotene, Nuciferine (trace from associated tissues)

Synergistic Combinations

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses1

  1. Huang M, Cople-Rodrigues CDS, Waitzberg DL and others. 2023. Changes in the Gut Microbiota after the Use of Herbal Medicines in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Systematic ReviewNutrients. PMID 37432344 · doi:10.3390/nu15092203

Randomised controlled trials1

  1. Ye L, Wang X, Konno T and others. 2022. Fat reducing effects of Nelumbo nucifera leaf extract in overweight patientsNatural product research. PMID 34852695 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2021.2010196

Other clinical studies and reviews10

  1. Zhao D, Ma L, Brownlie J and others. 2025. Neuroprotective Potential of Major Alkaloids from Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus): Mechanisms and Therapeutic ImplicationsInternational journal of molecular sciences. PMID 40943200 · doi:10.3390/ijms26178280
  2. Liu H, Wang S, Qiu K and others. 2024. Preparation, structural characterization, and biological activities of lotus polysaccharides: A reviewInternational journal of biological macromolecules. PMID 39216588 · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135191
  3. Ren X, Chen H, Wang H and others. 2024. Advances in the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Nelumbo nucifera gaertn. Extract nuciferineJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 38670406 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2024.118262
  4. Wang Z, Li Y, Ma D and others. 2023. Alkaloids from lotus (Nelumbo nucifera): recent advances in biosynthesis, pharmacokinetics, bioactivity, safety, and industrial applicationsCritical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID 34845950 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.2009436
  5. Zhao T, Zhu Y, Zhao R and others. 2023. Structure-activity relationship, bioactivities, molecular mechanisms, and clinical application of nuciferine on inflammation-related diseasesPharmacological research. PMID 37315822 · doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106820
  6. Chen S, Li X, Wu J and others. 2021. Plumula Nelumbinis: A review of traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and safetyJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 33011369 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113429
  7. Manogaran P, Beeraka NM, Padma VV. 2019. The Cytoprotective and Anti-cancer Potential of Bisbenzylisoquinoline Alkaloids from Nelumbo nuciferaCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry. PMID 31738137 · doi:10.2174/1568026619666191116160908
  8. Zhang N, Lian Z, Peng X and others. 2017. Applications of Higenamine in pharmacology and medicineJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 28007527 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.12.033
  9. Jadoon S, Karim S, Bin Asad MH and others. 2015. Anti-Aging Potential of Phytoextract Loaded-Pharmaceutical Creams for Human Skin Cell LongetivityOxidative medicine and cellular longevity. PMID 26448818 · doi:10.1155/2015/709628
  10. Mukherjee PK, Mukherjee D, Maji AK and others. 2009. The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) - phytochemical and therapeutic profileThe Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology. PMID 19298686 · doi:10.1211/jpp/61.04.0001

Reference lists that include it

Kaempferol, Quercetin

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.