Lian Fang (Mature Lotus Receptacle)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Lian Fang?

  Commonly 5–10 g in decoction (some references give as little as 3 g at the low end), or ground to a fine powder and taken directly. It is most often used charred (Lian Fang Tan) for its stronger hemostatic effect; the raw (unprocessed) form is chosen specifically when the stasis-dispelling action is wanted more than the astringent, bleeding-stopping action — for example, for retained placenta or prolonged postpartum discharge.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Lian Fang?

  Because Lian Fang is warm and works partly by dispelling blood stasis, it is traditionally matched to stasis-type bleeding (dark or clotted blood) rather than pure heat-type bleeding (bright red, profuse, with heat signs) — for the latter, cooling hemostatics such as Ce Bai Ye or Da Ji are traditionally preferred instead. It is best used under a qualified TCM practitioner, particularly during pregnancy, given the blood-moving, stasis-dispelling action of the raw form.

  • Pattern differentiation matters — distinguishing stasis-type (dark, clotted) from heat-type (bright red) bleeding is traditionally considered necessary before choosing Lian Fang over a cooling hemostatic.
  • Pregnancy — the stasis-dispelling action of the raw form calls for professional supervision in pregnancy; the charred form is regarded as more purely astringent and less blood-moving.
  • No specific overdose data found — the sources reviewed did not report a distinct toxic dose; treat standard dosage ranges as the ceiling absent practitioner guidance.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus (Stops-Bleeding category theory); Sacred Lotus local Sacred Lotus (properties/channels).

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low / not reported as toxic. Lian Fang is the dried seed-pod of the lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), a widely consumed food plant, and none of the materia medica references reviewed list it as toxic. No specific overdose or toxicity data were found in the literature reviewed; use is traditionally kept within standard dosage ranges.

  Source: TCM materia medica consensus. Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Lian Fang. Because it is traditionally used to stop bleeding, while also carrying some blood-moving activity through its stasis-dispelling action, practitioner awareness is reasonable for patients on anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy — this is precautionary, not a demonstrated clinical interaction.

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Lian Fang (Receptaculum Nelumbinis)?

  Yes, but it is chemical and preclinical rather than clinical. Several studies have identified and quantified the flavonol glycosides behind the receptacle’s antioxidant activity, and one cell-based study found a lotus-receptacle extract suppressed angiotensin-II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. No clinical trials testing Lian Fang’s traditional hemostatic use were found.

  • Flavonoid chemistry & antioxidant activity (laboratory) — researchers isolated five flavonol glycosides from Receptaculum Nelumbinis — hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronide, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-galactoside, and syringetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside — with the n-butanol fraction showing the strongest DPPH/ABTS free-radical-scavenging activity of the fractions tested. In-vitro chemistry, not a clinical finding.
  • Quality-control chemical fingerprinting — an HPLC-based method quantifying hyperoside and related flavonol glycosides across 20 lotus cultivars was developed to standardize quality assessment of Receptaculum Nelumbinis, addressing a gap left by pharmacopeia methods that previously relied on microscopic identification alone.
  • Cardiomyocyte protection (cell-based) — a Nelumbo nucifera receptacle extract suppressed angiotensin-II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and reactive-oxygen-species production in cultured cells, associated with inhibition of PKC/ERK/NF-κB signaling. Preclinical, cell-culture evidence only, and not related to the herb’s traditional hemostatic indication.

  Overall, published research supports the plant chemistry (antioxidant flavonol glycosides) and offers early cell-based pharmacology, but does not yet include clinical evidence for the traditional stop-bleeding / dispel-stasis use.

  Sources: PMID 22837685, PMC 3397517 (antioxidant flavonol glycosides, in vitro); PMID 23337200, PMC 3565361 (HPLC chemical fingerprinting/quality control); PMID 31027372, PMC 6539488 (cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cell culture). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Lian Fang related to other Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) herbs like Lian Zi, He Ye, Ou Jie, and Lian Xu?

  Lian Fang is one of several distinct Chinese herbs made from different parts of the same lotus plant (Nelumbo nucifera) — here, the receptacle (seed-pod/torus) left once the seeds are removed. Despite the shared botanical source, each lotus-derived herb has its own flavor, channels, and action, so they are not interchangeable.

  • He Ye (Lotus Leaf) — bitter, slightly sweet, neutral; Heart/Liver/Spleen. Relieves summerheat and raises the Spleen’s clear yang; charred, it also stops bleeding, traditionally described as directing its hemostatic effect more to the upper body and to bleeding associated with heat.
  • Lian Zi (Lotus Seed) — sweet, astringent, neutral; Heart/Kidney/Spleen. A tonifying, binding seed that strengthens the Spleen, secures Kidney essence, and calms the Heart; it does not share Lian Fang’s stasis-dispelling, hemostatic role.
  • Ou Jie (Node of the Lotus Rhizome) — sweet, astringent, neutral; Lung/Stomach/Liver. Also stops bleeding, but by astringing rather than by dispelling stasis; considered gentler than Lian Fang and traditionally associated more with upper-body or heat-type bleeding.
  • Lian Xu (Lotus Stamen) — sweet, astringent, neutral; Heart/Kidney. Astringes and binds essence (for conditions like spermatorrhea and excessive discharge) rather than acting on bleeding.

  Distinguishing feature: among the lotus-derived herbs, Lian Fang is unusual for combining two actions — dispelling stasis and stopping bleeding — in one substance. That combination is why it is specifically indicated for stasis-type bleeding (dark or clotted blood) rather than the bright-red, heat-type bleeding addressed by cooling hemostatics elsewhere in the Stops-Bleeding category. It is also traditionally combined with other charred astringent hemostatics to reinforce its effect in more severe uterine bleeding, a common strategy within this herb category. (General traditional pattern, not a specific formula or treatment instruction.)

  Source: Sacred Lotus local Sacred Lotus (herb identity for all lotus-derived herbs); TCM materia medica consensus for actions and differentiation.