Smoking blue lotus has a rich history, dating back to ancient Egypt, where it was revered as a sacred plant. Blue lotus symbolized spiritual rebirth and was a crucial element in connecting with the divine. This aquatic flower was also known for its psychoactive effects and therapeutic properties.
Today, smoking blue lotus is resurging, especially among those who blend it with cannabis and other herbs. This modern usage offers a synergistic experience that enhances the flower’s mood and mind-altering properties.
This article examines historical and modern uses for smoking blue lotus, particularly in combination with cannabis. It also covers the importance of lab testing blue lotus products.
Blue lotus, also called a water lily, has been celebrated for its psychoactive and spiritual significance for thousands of years.
Sacred and Medicinal Herb: Ancient civilizations revered blue lotus as a sacred flower, utilizing it for its soothing powers and psychoactive properties. It symbolized rebirth and spiritual alignment in Ancient Egypt, closely associated with the sun god Ra and Osiris, the god of the underworld.
Spiritual and Shamanistic Uses: Blue lotus was integral to religious ceremonies and shamanistic rituals, believed to provide connections to the divine and the afterlife. The Ancient Egyptians depicted the plant in art, artifacts, and hieroglyphics.
Symbolism in Religion: In Hinduism and Buddhism, the blue lotus symbolizes wisdom, knowledge, and the victory of the spirit over the senses. It represents purity and enlightenment, emerging untainted from muddy waters.
Traditionally, blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) was consumed in various ways, including teas, tinctures, and smoking.
Modern research indicates blue lotus contains a wide range of beneficial compounds responsible for its diverse effects.
Studies have shown that blue lotus’ key alkaloids, nuciferine and apomorphine, boost the brain's γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity. The compounds also impact the monoaminergic system, which involves mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
This chemical profile makes blue lotus flowers a popular sleep aid and anxiety reliever.
Beyond psychoactive compounds, blue lotus features a mix of chemicals, including aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic alcohols, fatty acids, phenyl derivatives, diterpenoids, phytosterols, and stigmastanes. A review of the plant’s pharmacological actions suggests a range of therapeutic properties:
Smoking blue lotus flowers as a standalone practice offers a unique, subtle experience. Users typically smoke-dried blue lotus flowers either in a joint, pipe or through a vaporizer. This method of consumption allows for the immediate onset of effects, characterized by a mild sense of tranquility and euphoria. The experience leans towards enhancing meditation, promoting relaxation, and even facilitating a spiritual connection reminiscent of ancient rituals.
The effects of smoking blue lotus are typically mild and enjoyable, described as:
Smoking blue lotus is not generally stronger than tea. The smoked form tends to deliver quick, mild effects that subside in less than an hour. Drinking blue lotus tea is more potent and longer-lasting.
Here’s why:
Most people smoke blue lotus using dried blue lotus flowers blended with complementary herbs. They gently grind the dried flowers to achieve a suitable consistency and roll them into a joint or pack them into a pipe or vaporizer. After preparing the blue lotus, they lightly ignite it and inhale the smoke slowly, allowing the mild euphoric effects to take hold.
**Best practices suggest consumers should start with small amounts to gauge their sensitivity to the herb's effects, gradually increasing as desired.
Smoking blue lotus blends offer a unique experience, enhancing flavor and effects. Some of the most common blue lotus blends incorporate mullein, mugwort, lavender, and damiana to enhance the calming and soothing effects. Others blend blue lotus with cannabis to achieve a more balanced high.
Blue lotus and cannabis are a popular blend amongst psychotropic plant lovers. Anecdotal evidence suggests the combination offers a synergistic experience that attenuates THC’s disorienting properties while enhancing blue lotus’ sedative effects.
The calming onset and clarifying synergy:
A Reddit user described smoking cannabis and blue lotus as an “Epic combo” for anxiety. “You feel overall calmness, all tensions gone!”
An Erowid contributor named “Floater” had a slightly different experience.
Floater started the night by inhaling two bowls of blue lotus mixed with a potent cannabis strain. He immediately noticed how the blue lilly changed the experience.
“The entire feeling of the weed is different [with blue louts]. It is more serene and relaxing.”
However, within an hour, blue lotus’ attenuating effects wore off, and the THC content overpowered the experience. Floater and his friends smoked two more blended bowls, but blue lotus was too mild to make a difference.
Later in the night, while still feeling the THC, Floater smoked two blue lotus joints. He said outside, admiring the natural landscape and the quiet, peaceful night. He described his mind as clear and his thoughts as following a natural, coherent rhythm, “unlike with the overload of weed.”
Floater concluded “at that moment that the mixture of weed and blue lotus was the best way to (spiritually) use weed. The clearness of the mind and the calm of the body and soul allow for a vehicle to the other side.”
Blue lotus’ historical and modern-day usage suggests that smoking the plant is generally safe, well-tolerated, and beneficial. But dosage and delivery method significantly change the effects.
Case reports suggest that vaping high levels of blue lotus can cause anxiety, chest pains, hallucinations, and even persistent erections. These effects are temporary and not life-threatening. But they can cause extreme distress and emergency medical intervention.
Consumers need lab-tested blue lotus to understand the potency of the products they’re smoking, vaping, or otherwise ingesting. Potency is the only way to gauge the best dosage for their desired effects.
Lab testing also indicates whether blue lotus is free from harmful and common contaminants, like heavy metals, pesticides, and residual solvents. Consumers can only trust Blue Lotus products are safe by reviewing a third-party laboratory's Certificate of Analysis (lab report) and proving its contents match the label.
Smoking blue lotus is like unlocking an ancient secret for calm and clarity. It's not just about the buzz—it's a journey back in time with a plant steeped in history, now making a significant comeback. Diving into this experience with lab-tested blue lotus means consumers are set for a safe, potent ride.
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