Lotus root
For Chinese dietary therapy, Lotus root (莲藕) is a food of Cool nature and Sweet flavor. Classification varies across sources between raw and cooked, making it a useful example of culinary transformation.
Traditional energetics
- Nature
- Cool
- Flavor
- Sweet
- Affinity
- Heart · Spleen · Stomach
- Direction of Qi
- Cool when raw · descending; neutral when cooked
- Season
- Autumn
- Group
- Roots
How tradition reads it
Classification varies across sources between raw and cooked, making it a useful example of culinary transformation.
In slow soups with pork ribs or mushrooms in the Cantonese tradition; raw it cools, and tradition prefers it cooked for cold digestion.
In the kitchen
Stir-fried, steamed, in soup, or stuffed.
Outside Asian shops, parsnip or canned water chestnut works as a study approximation.
Current nutrition note
Provides vitamin C, fiber and mucilage with its characteristic crunchy texture.
Precautions
Clean inner channels and cook appropriately.
Recipes with this food
Health notice. Educational and study content. It describes concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Needling, medicinal herbs and invasive techniques must be applied by trained professionals. Safety guide.
