Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the early history of sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) use in China

Despite the increase in sacred lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) recovered through archaeobotany at sites across China in recent years, little attention has been paid to the early history of human use of this aquatic plant. In this study, we collated and re-evaluated all published macro-botanical data of lotus in China for the period 9000–1100 BP. Our findings suggest that Neolithic rice farmers inhabiting the middle and lower Yangtze and Yellow River watersheds made extensive use of lotus roots and seeds as a supplementary starchy food. Furthermore, medicinal and cultural use of sacred lotus appears to have developed with the rise of China’s urban aristocracy from the mid-Warring States to the Late Tang Dynasty period. Our study provides the foundation for a history of the Chinese people’s long-term interaction with the sacred lotus plant.