Vegetables · Root Vegetables

Lotus Root: Benefits, Nutrition, Safety & How to Cook It

What lotus root is, what a cup of the cooked root gives you, what the research shows for your gut, seasonal allergies, liver fat and blood sugar, how Chinese medicine uses it, and how to cook it safely.

By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS·20-min read

Meet the Medical Advisory Board

Evidence-based40 sources citedUpdated October 2, 2026

Published Oct 2, 2026Last updated Oct 2, 2026Editorial policyMedical review policyFact-checking policy

The Dr. Axe Score™

5.4/10

Overall Dr. Axe Score · Lotus Root

Lotus root scores as a cooked vegetable with real vitamin C, copper and fiber, a measurable load of polyphenols, a starch that has performed well in a human trial, and a long history as food and medicine in Asia.

Scientific Evidence

3.8/10

Two randomized studies in people, of lotus root starch and a lotus root powder, plus a broad base of lab and rodent studies on the root and its extracts.

Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory

6.2/10

Measurable polyphenols, mainly catechins; its extract eased inflammation in a rat study.

Clinical Effectiveness

6.4/10

Our judgment: a versatile cooked vegetable with a long traditional history and useful vitamin C, copper and fiber.

Nutrient Density

5.6/10

Per calorie, strong in vitamin C, copper and vitamin B6.

Why this score?

Why Lotus Root scores 5.4 / 10

A cup of boiled slices carries 37% of the daily value for vitamin C and 29% for copper, plus 3.7 grams of fiber, for 79 calories.
The flesh holds about 181 milligrams of polyphenols per 100 grams, and the peel and the joints between segments hold more.
Lotus root starch matched a commercial thickener for stroke patients with swallowing difficulty.
How the score works: Scientific Evidence rates the amount and quality of human, animal and lab research on lotus root itself; Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory and Nutrient Density reflect measured composition; Clinical Effectiveness is the team's judgment of real-world usefulness, informed by the cited human research and traditional use. These are editorial judgments, not validated clinical measurements; the scoring method explains more.
Interaction check: Low. Lotus root brings potassium, 436 milligrams in a cup of boiled slices, so the side effects section names the medicines to keep in mind. Interactions are rated on their own and don't change the score.
Weighting: Evidence 30% · Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Nutrient Density 20% (3.8×0.30 + 6.2×0.25 + 6.4×0.25 + 5.6×0.20 = 5.41, shown as 5.4).

A transparent, weighted index built for foods. See how it’s calculated →

Dr. Josh Axe · Free quiz

Cellular Health Quiz

Loading question one…

Lotus root at a glance

Lotus root is the crisp, lace-patterned underground stem of the sacred lotus, a cooked vegetable that brings vitamin C, copper and fiber to the table and has a long history in Asian kitchens and Chinese medicine. A cup of boiled slices has 79 calories, 3.7 grams of fiber and 37% of the daily value for vitamin C.1 2

Gut: in a lab fermentation with human gut bacteria, its polysaccharide was turned into butyric acid and other short-chain fatty acids3
Swallowing: lotus root starch worked as well as a commercial thickener in a randomized trial of 76 stroke patients4
Allergies and liver: mice eating lotus root powder had milder nasal allergy symptoms, and a lotus root polyphenol extract cut liver fat 62% in obese diabetic mice5 6
How to eat it: cooked, in soups, stir-fries and braises

For a step-by-step plan built around warm, cooked, gut-friendly food, see the free Healing Leaky Gut protocol.

Slice a lotus root crosswise and a ring of round holes appears in the crisp, ivory flesh, a lace pattern that makes it one of the most striking vegetables you can cook. It's the underground stem of the sacred lotus, grown in the mud of ponds and flooded fields, and cooks across Asia simmer it in soups, stir-fry it and braise it. The lotus plant has been used there as both a vegetable and an herbal medicine for more than 2,000 years.7

Lotus root brings vitamin C and copper, along with fiber your gut bacteria can use,1 and it's an easy way to widen the range of plants you eat. Most people eat about 10 different plants in a week, and I recommend aiming for 20 to 30.8

The research on the root itself is encouraging: a randomized trial of its starch in stroke patients, a randomized study of a lotus root powder in older adults, and lab and rodent studies on gut bacteria, allergies, liver fat and blood sugar. You'll find those numbers here, along with how Chinese medicine uses lotus root and two simple recipes.

Short-chain fatty acids are fuel for your colon and for your cells and they calm inflammation.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom The Shocking Reason Your Anxiety, Brain Fog & Bloating May Start in Your Gut (The Dr. Josh Axe Show, 2026, at about 13:40)

Get the free Healing Leaky Gut protocol

Warm, cooked, soft foods are what a healing gut does best with, and lotus root simmered in broth fits right in. This free 30-day protocol lays out:

The six-step 6R roadmap, in the order to follow it
Which foods support a healing gut, with a week of meals built from them
A short self-assessment to see where your gut stands

Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime.

Open the free protocol → →

Did you know?

The lotus is widely admired for the beauty of its flowers, which is why it's the national flower of India and Vietnam.9
Starch content ran from 7.53% to more than 14% across nine lotus root varieties grown side by side, one reason some roots cook up crisp and others soft and powdery.10
Fresh lotus root gives off 58 different aroma compounds, and of the cooking methods researchers compared, boiled slices kept the root's natural taste and smell best.11

What is lotus root?

Quick answer

Lotus root is the edible rhizome, or underground stem, of the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), a water plant whose rhizomes and seeds are its two main foods.7 It grows in linked segments joined by knobby joints, and a crosswise slice shows the ring of holes that gives it its lacy look.

In China, lotus root is grown across the country, especially in wetland provinces such as Jiangsu and Hubei, and it goes into soups, cold dishes, fried chips and baked desserts.11 It's a popular food in Japan and Southeast Asia as well,5 and the lotus has a place in the traditional medicines of China, India, Japan, Thailand and Korea.9

The same plant gives us lotus seeds and lotus leaf, which are sold as separate foods and herbal products and have their own research. This guide covers the root.

Lotus root nutrition facts

Quick answer

A cup of boiled lotus root slices (120 grams) has 79 calories, 3.7 grams of fiber, 37% of the daily value for vitamin C and 29% for copper, with almost no fat. It also adds 436 milligrams of potassium and 15% of the daily value for vitamin B6.1 2

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central records 168430 (boiled, drained, no salt) and 169250 (raw); the USDA lists half a cup of boiled slices as 60 grams. % Daily Value uses FDA reference values.1 12 2

Nutrient	1 cup boiled (120 g)	% DV (1 cup)	100 g boiled	100 g raw
Calories	79	n/a	66	74
Carbohydrate	19.2 g	7%	16.0 g	17.2 g
Fiber	3.7 g	13%	3.1 g	4.9 g
Protein	1.9 g	4%	1.6 g	2.6 g
Vitamin C	32.9 mg	37%	27.4 mg	44.0 mg
Copper	0.26 mg	29%	0.22 mg	0.26 mg
Vitamin B6	0.26 mg	15%	0.22 mg	0.26 mg
Thiamin	0.15 mg	13%	0.13 mg	0.16 mg
Manganese	0.26 mg	11%	0.22 mg	0.26 mg
Potassium	436 mg	9%	363 mg	556 mg
Phosphorus	94 mg	7%	78 mg	100 mg
Magnesium	26 mg	6%	22 mg	23 mg
Iron	1.1 mg	6%	0.9 mg	1.2 mg
Sodium	54 mg	2%	45 mg	40 mg
Vitamin A	0	0%	0	0

Lotus root carries no vitamin A, so pair it with carrots or dark leafy greens to round out the plate.

Raw vs. cooked lotus root

Boiled lotus root, the way you'll eat it, has 27.4 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams, 30% of the daily value, along with 3.1 grams of fiber and 363 milligrams of potassium.1 The USDA's raw record lists more of each (44.0 milligrams of vitamin C, 4.9 grams of fiber and 556 milligrams of potassium), but the two are separate database entries rather than one root measured before and after cooking.12

Lotus root also brings potassium with very little sodium: 436 milligrams of potassium against 54 of sodium in a cup of boiled slices.1 Eating more potassium helps your blood pressure. When researchers combined 22 randomized trials (1,606 adults), raising potassium intake brought systolic pressure down 3.49 points and diastolic pressure down 1.96, with the drop concentrated among adults who started with hypertension; across 11 long-term studies that followed 127,038 people, more potassium went with 24% less stroke, while the links to heart disease weren't significant.13 My High Blood Pressure protocol puts food first for potassium, with a daily goal of 4,000 to 4,700 milligrams.14 For more on why potassium matters, see the benefits of potassium.

What is lotus root good for?

Quick answer

Lotus root's strongest use is as a cooked vegetable that adds vitamin C, copper and fiber to your meals, and its polysaccharide fed beneficial gut bacteria in a lab fermentation.1 3 Its starch worked as well as a commercial thickener in a randomized trial of 76 stroke patients with swallowing difficulty,4 and in rodent studies, lotus root and its extracts eased nasal allergy symptoms, lowered liver fat and blood sugar, and reduced inflammation.5 6 15 16

Where the research stands

USDA records lay out what's in lotus root, and research on what it does is still young: two randomized studies in people, one of lotus root starch and one of a freeze-dried lotus root powder, plus lab and animal studies of the root, its powder and its extracts.4 40 No study has yet tested eating cooked lotus root for a health outcome in people. What it does have is a documented nutrient profile, a polysaccharide that behaved like a prebiotic in the lab, and a long record of use as food and medicine across Asia.3 9

Lotus root benefits, graded by evidence strength (Updated October 2026). Evidence labels are editorial judgments.
Benefit	Evidence	What was studied	What the research shows	Good to know
Vitamin C and copper	Strong	1 cup of boiled lotus root	37% DV vitamin C, 29% DV copper1	79 calories per cup
Easier swallowing	Emerging	Lotus root starch thickener after a stroke	As effective as a commercial thickener; both beat regular foods4	Often labeled lotus root powder
Fiber that feeds your gut	Emerging	Lotus root polysaccharide, fermented in the lab	Turned into acetic, propionic and butyric acids; Bifidobacterium rose3	3.7 g fiber per cup
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory	Emerging	Lotus root powder for 30 days in older adults; rhizome extract in rats	Blood vitamin C up 56.5% and an antioxidant enzyme up 38.7%40; less paw swelling16	About 181 mg polyphenols per 100 g of flesh17
Seasonal allergies	Preclinical	Lotus root powder in the diet	Milder nasal symptoms; lower IgE and leukotriene B45	A traditional use
Liver and blood fats	Preclinical	Polyphenol extract, 0.5% of the diet, 3 weeks	62% less liver triglyceride6	Fiber-polyphenol complexes also improved blood fats25
Blood sugar	Preclinical	Rhizome extract by mouth	Lower blood sugar; 73% and 67% of a diabetes drug's effect15	About 15.5 g net carbs per cup

How lotus root works in your body

Lotus root's fiber, along with a polysaccharide that holds up to digestion, follows a gut pathway I've walked through on my show, and it starts simply: you eat fiber or resistant starch your own body can't digest, your gut bacteria ferment it in your colon, and that fermentation releases short-chain fatty acids.8

1Fiber that resists digestion

Lotus root brings fiber along with a water-soluble polysaccharide, and when researchers ran that polysaccharide through simulated stomach and small-intestine digestion, it changed only slightly.1 3

2Your gut bacteria ferment it

In a lab fermentation with human gut bacteria, the polysaccharide was steadily broken down, the mix grew more acidic and Bifidobacterium, a beneficial group of gut bacteria, increased.3

3Short-chain fatty acids are released

That fermentation produced acetic, propionic and butyric acids, three short-chain fatty acids.3

4They fuel your colon lining

The cells of your colon wall prefer butyrate as their energy source, one reason prebiotic fiber is so closely tied to gut health.18

Lotus root benefits, ranked by evidence

Ranked by the strength of the research, lotus root's best-supported benefits are its vitamin C and copper, a starch that makes swallowing easier and its fiber that feeds your gut, followed by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and preclinical findings on seasonal allergies, liver and blood fats and blood sugar.

Vitamin C and copper

Strong evidenceComposition · USDA FoodData Central · 9 varieties

A cup of boiled lotus root gives you 37% of the daily value for vitamin C and 29% for copper.1 Vitamin C helps your body make collagen and supports the immune cells that fight infection,19 20 and copper works inside enzymes your cells use to make energy, defend against oxidative stress and keep connective tissue stable.21 The vitamin C in lotus root varies with the variety: nine Chinese varieties grown under the same conditions held between 32.09 and 57.13 milligrams per 100 grams.10

Study takeaway: a cup of boiled lotus root covers more than a third of your daily vitamin C.

Easier swallowing with lotus root starch

Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized trial · 76 stroke patients

Lotus root starch, often sold as lotus root powder, thickens liquids into smooth textures that are easier to swallow. In a randomized trial of 76 stroke patients with swallowing difficulty, 26 drank liquids thickened with lotus root starch to the standard thickness levels used in swallowing care, 26 used a commercial xanthan gum thickener and 24 had regular foods, and everyone did swallowing exercises. All three groups improved, and both thickener groups did significantly better on swallowing tests than the regular-food group, spent less time on feeding tubes, had them removed more often and had fewer adverse reactions. The researchers judged lotus root starch as effective and safe as the commercial thickener.4

Study takeaway: lotus root starch worked as well as a commercial thickener for stroke patients with swallowing difficulty.

Fiber that feeds your gut

Emerging evidenceHuman studyFiber reviews in people · lab fermentation with human gut bacteria

Each cup of boiled lotus root adds 3.7 grams of fiber,1 and the human research on fiber runs deep. A 2019 series of reviews in The Lancet drew on nearly 135 million person-years of follow-up: compared with the lowest fiber eaters, the highest had 15% to 30% less death overall and from cardiovascular disease, along with less colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease. The largest risk reductions came at 25 to 29 grams a day, and the dose-response curves suggested that even higher intakes could protect further against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal and breast cancer. In the controlled trials, more fiber brought down total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and body weight.22 Lotus root's own polysaccharide fed beneficial bacteria in the lab, as the diagram above shows.3 The average person gets only 14 to 15 grams a day; I recommend at least doubling that, to 30 grams or more for most people.8

Study takeaway: lotus root's polysaccharide was fermented into short-chain fatty acids by human gut bacteria in the lab.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential

Emerging evidenceHuman studyRandomized pilot · 25 older adults · rats · 13 varieties analyzed

In a small randomized study, healthy adults over 60 stirred 25 grams of a freeze-dried lotus root powder into warm water every morning for 30 days. In the 12 who took lotus root, blood vitamin C rose 56.5%, blood polyphenols 14.9% and the activity of glutathione peroxidase, one of the body's own antioxidant enzymes, 38.7%, and DNA damage in white blood cells fell. A cucumber powder group improved in much the same way, which the researchers credited to the antioxidants vegetables carry working together.40 Across 13 Chinese varieties, lotus root flesh held 1.81 milligrams of total phenolics per gram of fresh weight, about 181 milligrams per 100 grams, expressed as gallic acid equivalents and made up mostly of gallocatechin and catechin; the peel held 4.30 and the knobby joints between segments 7.35.17 Given by mouth to rats at two doses, an extract of the rhizome reduced paw swelling in two standard inflammation tests about as well as two anti-inflammatory drugs, phenylbutazone and dexamethasone.16 And in immune cells grown in the lab, lotus root polysaccharides bound to gallic acid or epigallocatechin, two common plant polyphenols, raised more IL-10, a signal that calms inflammation, than the polysaccharide alone.23 For more foods with this kind of activity, see these anti-inflammatory foods.

Study takeaway: a month of lotus root powder raised blood vitamin C, blood polyphenols and antioxidant enzyme activity in older adults.

Seasonal allergy support

PreclinicalAnimal studyMice · rats · traditional use

Lotus root has a traditional reputation for easing allergy symptoms, and a Japanese research team set out to explain it: a proanthocyanidin, a type of polyphenol, that they isolated from lotus root suppressed IL-9, part of an allergy pathway that antihistamines don't block, in cells and in sensitized rats.24 In a separate study, mice that ate chow with 5% or 10% lotus root powder for 4 weeks had milder nasal allergy symptoms and lower blood levels of total IgE than mice on standard food, and at 10% they also had less leukotriene B4; both are markers of allergic inflammation.5

Study takeaway: mice eating lotus root powder had milder nasal allergy symptoms and lower IgE.

Liver and blood-fat support

PreclinicalAnimal studyMice · 6 per group · 3 weeks

Obese diabetic mice fed a diet containing 0.5% lotus root polyphenol extract for 3 weeks, 6 per group, had 62% less triglyceride in their livers and 15% lighter livers than mice eating the identical diet minus the extract, along with lower activity of two enzymes that build fat; blood cholesterol and triglycerides didn't differ between the groups.6 In mice on a high-fat diet, complexes of fiber and polyphenols taken from lotus root improved blood fats and markers of liver injury and shifted the gut bacteria.25

Study takeaway: a lotus root polyphenol extract cut liver fat 62% in obese diabetic mice.

Blood sugar support

PreclinicalAnimal studyRats · normal and diabetic

Given by mouth, an ethanol extract of lotus root lowered blood sugar in normal, glucose-loaded and diabetic rats, improved glucose tolerance and strengthened the effect of injected insulin; its activity came to 73% of the diabetes drug tolbutamide's in normal rats and 67% in diabetic rats.15 As a food, a cup of boiled lotus root carries about 15.5 grams of net carbs,1 so it fits a blood-sugar-conscious diet best alongside protein and non-starchy vegetables.

Study takeaway: a lotus root extract brought blood sugar down in normal and diabetic rats.

How is lotus root used in Chinese medicine?

In Chinese medicine, the lotus is a medicinal plant from top to bottom: its stamens, leaves, leaf stalks, flowers, seeds and rhizomes have all been used for more than 1,000 years.9 Traditional uses for the plant as a whole include diarrhea, insomnia, fever, gastritis and what practitioners call body heat imbalance, and the rhizome powder has been used to restore the body's balance, including support for circulation.9 Lotus powder also appears in Chinese remedies for coughs and inflammation.5 Other traditional systems used the rhizomes for coughs, throat complaints, diarrhea and dysentery.26

Food is part of the medicine in that tradition. In Ancient Remedies, I explained that traditional Chinese nutrition sorts foods as warming or cooling by the way they affect the body, not just by their temperature, and uses them to bring the body back into balance.27 Chinese medicine pairs herbs with dietary therapy, and as I've explained on my show, that can mean more root vegetables to ground and help heal the digestive system.28 Lotus root fits that kind of warm, cooked eating naturally.

My reading of Chinese medicine on plant foods is simple: eat them, and prepare them properly.29 Modern research has followed a few of these traditional uses into the lab, most clearly for inflammation and allergies, as the benefits above show. Many other foods and herbs from the same tradition are covered in the guide to the top Chinese herbs and superfoods.

Want help fitting lotus root into your week?

Ask Dr. Axe AI. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.

How much lotus root should you eat?

Quick answer

About a cup of cooked slices (120 grams), a few times a week, makes a sensible serving. Think in food portions: treat it as one more plant in your weekly mix, and let its fiber count toward your daily total.1

New to fiber-rich foods? Start with half a cup and work up to a full cup over the next week or two. These are everyday food amounts.

How do you cook lotus root?

Quick answer

Scrub it, peel it if you like, slice it and cook it until tender: blanch thin slices and stir-fry them, simmer thicker coins in soup or broth, or steam slices and dress them. Keep cut slices in water with a squeeze of lemon until they hit the pan, because the vitamin C in lemon juice slows the enzyme that browns cut lotus root.30

Choose your type. Crisp lotus roots hold their snap in stir-fries and cold dishes, while powdery ones soften into soups.10

Prep it. When you bring produce home, I recommend a one- to two-minute soak in water with baking soda.31 Then scrub lotus root well under running water, since it grows in mud. Peeling is optional: the peel is edible once scrubbed and cooked and carries more polyphenols than the flesh, though peeled slices look cleaner.17 Trim off the knobby joints and slice it crosswise to show the pattern. Drop the slices straight into lemon water.

Cook it through. In a cooking study of 2-millimeter slices, boiling at 100 °C (212 °F) softened lotus root by up to 73.71% and steaming by up to 69.82% within 2 to 6 minutes.11 Short cooking keeps more crunch, and a longer simmer turns it tender.

Pick your fat and flavors. For stir-fries, cook in avocado oil or olive oil, then add a few drops of toasted sesame oil at the end for flavor. Lotus root pairs well with ginger, garlic, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, tamari and rice vinegar, and if a dish wants sweetness, a teaspoon of raw honey is plenty.

Lotus root soup with chicken bone broth

A warm, gentle soup for cool evenings. Serves 4 · Prep 15 minutes · Cook 35 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh lotus root, peeled and cut into ¼-inch coins
6 cups chicken bone broth
2 carrots, sliced
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1 cup cooked shredded chicken (optional)
1 tablespoon tamari, or sea salt to taste
2 scallions, sliced

Steps:

Hold the lotus root coins in water with a squeeze of lemon while you prep everything else.
Bring the broth, ginger and mushrooms to a simmer in a large pot.
Drain the lotus root and add it with the carrots. Cover and simmer about 25 minutes, until a knife slides through the lotus root easily.
Stir in the chicken, if using, and the tamari, and heat through.
Top with scallions and serve hot.

Ginger-garlic lotus root stir-fry

A fast side with plenty of crunch. Serves 4 · Prep 15 minutes · Cook 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh lotus root, peeled and sliced paper-thin or cut into matchsticks
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1½ tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Steps:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the lotus root and cook for 3 minutes, then drain well.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the lotus root and carrot and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until the carrot is tender-crisp.
Add the tamari, honey and pepper flakes and toss for 1 minute more.
Off the heat, drizzle with the sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Simmer coins in chicken bone broth with ginger and shiitake.

Stir-fry blanched slices with garlic, carrot and tamari.

Make a cold side of blanched slices tossed with rice vinegar, sesame and scallions.

Braise thick slices low and slow until tender.

Add slices to curries and stews for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Pair it with other roots like daikon and burdock in a mixed vegetable braise.

How to buy and store lotus root

Fresh. Look for firm, heavy segments with smooth, unbroken skin and no soft or dark spots. Whole, uncut segments keep best in the refrigerator, wrapped loosely. Cut surfaces brown quickly, so cook cut pieces soon.30

Frozen or vacuum-packed. Peeled, sliced lotus root is sold frozen or vacuum-sealed in many Asian markets, a convenient way to keep it on hand. Cook it the same way you would fresh.

Lotus root powder. Lotus root starch, often labeled lotus root powder, works as a thickener for liquids; it's the form tested in the swallowing trial above.4

Chips. If you make lotus root chips in an air fryer, cook them hotter and shorter. In a 2024 study, 170 °C (338 °F) for 13 minutes produced much less acrylamide than 150 °C (302 °F) for 19 minutes, while chips left at 170 °C for 19 minutes reached 12,786 nanograms per gram, up to 17 times the EU benchmark for potato chips, without looking overcooked or tasting burnt. Soaks in plain water, a vinegar solution or citric acid didn't lower acrylamide significantly, but presoaking the slices in a dilute (0.1%) acetic acid solution cut it by 61%, and tossing them with 1% salt first cut it by 47%.32

Lotus root side effects & who should be careful

Quick answer

Cooked lotus root is a safe everyday vegetable for most people. Three things matter: always cook it, know that a small share of people with pollen allergies react to it, and count its potassium if you've been told to limit potassium or you take a potassium-raising medicine.

Can you eat lotus root raw?

No. Always cook lotus root. Lotus roots are among the water plants, along with water caltrop, water hyacinth and water bamboo, that can carry the encysted larvae of Fasciolopsis buski, the giant intestinal fluke, and people pick up the infection by eating these plants raw or undercooked.33 That means no raw slices, no raw lotus root juice and no raw shavings in salads, wherever you buy it. Cook it until tender throughout. For more on preventing parasites, see the Parasites protocol.

Can you be allergic to lotus root?

Yes, though it's uncommon. In a nationwide Korean survey of 648 people with pollen allergies, 270 had pollen-food allergy syndrome, in which certain plant foods set off allergy symptoms, often an itchy mouth or throat, and lotus root was one of the foods behind it for 2.6% of them.34 Researchers in Japan have identified a lotus root allergen,35 and at least one case of anaphylaxis from lotus root has been documented.36 If eating it makes your mouth or throat itch, stop, and get emergency care right away for swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing or widespread hives. See food allergy symptoms.

Lotus root, potassium and medications

Lotus root's potassium, 436 milligrams in a cup of boiled slices, is good news for most people.1 If you have kidney disease and you've been told to limit potassium, count lotus root toward it. An international kidney conference held in 2018 noted growing evidence linking plant-rich diets with better outcomes in kidney disease and called for moving away from simply restricting potassium foods.37 The same counting applies if you take an ACE inhibitor, an ARB or a potassium-sparing diuretic, medicines that can raise blood potassium.38 Lotus root is also very low in vitamin K: the USDA boiled record lists 0.1 microgram per 100 grams.1

Does it matter where lotus root is grown?

It can. Lotus root grows in flooded mud, and like rice it can take up metals from the soil and water. In a 2025 study of 346 lotus root samples from eight growing regions in China, arsenic was detected in every sample and 2.89% were above China's limit; the researchers estimated no significant risk of non-cancer effects for adults, while in two provinces, Hubei and Fujian, the estimated cancer risk from arsenic for the most exposed tenth of eaters passed the U.S. EPA's threshold.39 Buying from a source you trust and eating lotus root as one vegetable among many keeps any single food from dominating your intake.

Good to know before you cook lotus root

Always cook it until tender; never eat it raw or drink raw lotus root juice
With pollen allergies, stop at any itching of the mouth or throat
With kidney disease or a potassium-raising blood pressure medicine, count its potassium
Air-fried chips: keep the cooking time short to limit acrylamide

The bottom line

Should you eat lotus root?

Yes. Lotus root is a beautiful, versatile vegetable that brings vitamin C, copper, fiber and polyphenols to your plate, and its polysaccharide fed beneficial gut bacteria in the lab. Its starch matched a commercial thickener for stroke patients with swallowing difficulty, and rodent studies point to promising effects on allergies, liver fat and blood sugar. People across Asia have eaten it and used it as medicine for well over a thousand years, and a record that long deserves a place in how we judge a food.

Buy firm, heavy roots, scrub them well and cook them: simmered in chicken bone broth, blanched and stir-fried, or slowly braised. Count it as one more plant in your week. Your body was designed to heal, and simple whole foods like this one give it more to work with.

Get the free Healing Leaky Gut protocol

Six steps to calm and rebuild your gut, the foods that help it heal and a week of meals. Have recent bloodwork? Analyze it free. Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime.

Open the free protocol → →

Lotus root: frequently asked questions

Is lotus root good for you?

Yes. A cup of boiled lotus root has 37% of the daily value for vitamin C, 29% for copper and 3.7 grams of fiber for 79 calories, and its flesh carries about 181 milligrams of polyphenols per 100 grams.1 17

Can you eat lotus root raw?

No; always cook it. Lotus roots are among the water plants that can carry the encysted larvae of the giant intestinal fluke, and people are infected by eating these plants raw or undercooked.33

What does lotus root taste like?

Mild and lightly sweet, with a crisp bite that softens the longer you cook it. Crisp varieties stay crunchier and sweeter, while powdery ones turn soft and starchy in soup.10 11

How do you prepare and cook lotus root?

Cook it until tender after scrubbing it well: blanch and stir-fry thin slices, simmer thick coins in soup, or steam and dress them. A squeeze of lemon in the soaking water keeps cut slices from browning.30

How many calories are in lotus root?

About 79 calories in a cup of boiled slices (120 grams), and 74 in 100 grams of the raw root.1 12

Is lotus root keto-friendly?

Not for a strict keto plan. A cup of boiled lotus root has about 19.2 grams of carbohydrate and 3.7 grams of fiber, or about 15.5 grams of net carbs, so it suits a moderate or lower-carb plan better than strict keto.1

Is lotus root high in vitamin C?

Yes, for a root vegetable. A cup of boiled slices has 32.9 milligrams, 37% of the daily value, and 100 grams of boiled root has 27.4 milligrams, 30%.1

Is lotus root good for your gut?

It can help feed your gut bacteria. A cup of boiled lotus root has 3.7 grams of fiber, and in a lab fermentation with human gut bacteria, its polysaccharide was turned into butyric acid and other short-chain fatty acids while Bifidobacterium increased.1 3

Does lotus root help with allergies?

It may help. Mice that ate lotus root powder had milder nasal allergy symptoms and lower IgE than mice on standard food, and lotus root has a traditional reputation for easing allergy symptoms.5 24

Is lotus root good for blood pressure?

It can support healthy blood pressure as a low-sodium vegetable that brings potassium, with 436 milligrams of potassium and 54 of sodium in a cup of boiled slices.1 Across 22 randomized trials, raising potassium intake lowered systolic blood pressure by 3.49 points, mostly in people with high blood pressure.13

Is lotus root safe during pregnancy?

Yes. Cooked lotus root is an everyday vegetable you can keep eating during pregnancy, in food amounts such as a cup of cooked slices a few times a week.

Does lotus root interact with medications?

Mainly through its potassium. If you take an ACE inhibitor, an ARB or a potassium-sparing diuretic, or you've been told to limit potassium, count lotus root toward your daily potassium.38 37 It's very low in vitamin K, at 0.1 microgram per 100 grams boiled.1

Is lotus root the same as lotus seeds?

No. Lotus root is the plant's underground stem, and lotus seeds come from its seed heads; they're the plant's two main edible parts and are sold and studied separately.7

Can you eat lotus root skin?

Yes, if it's well scrubbed and cooked. The peel carries more polyphenols than the flesh, 4.30 versus 1.81 milligrams per gram, though peeling gives a cleaner look and texture.17

What is lotus root powder?

It can be dried, powdered lotus root or lotus root starch, so check the label; the starch is the one that thickens liquids. In a randomized trial of 76 stroke patients, liquids thickened with lotus root starch worked as well as a commercial thickener for people with swallowing difficulty.4

How do you store lotus root?

Refrigerate whole, uncut segments wrapped loosely, and cook cut pieces soon, since cut surfaces brown quickly.30 Peeled slices hold their color in water with a squeeze of lemon until you cook them.

Freshness & update log

October 2, 2026 — Rewrote this page to the current DrAxe.com standard. Corrected the earlier statement that no human trial of lotus root exists: a randomized trial of lotus root starch in 76 stroke patients and a small randomized study of a lotus root powder in 25 older adults are now described. Rescored lotus root with the current food weighting (5.4) in place of a retired scoring method. Removed a brain claim that rested on an extract of the knobby joints people don't usually eat, a gut claim from a review that didn't support it, a parasite source about a different water plant and unsourced storage and medication notes, and corrected the cooking study to the methods it tested. Added USDA raw and boiled values in a serving-first table, polyphenols by part across 13 varieties, a lab fermentation study with human gut bacteria, a mouse study of lotus root powder for nasal allergies, a section on lotus root in Chinese medicine, guidance for air-fried chips, allergy and potassium notes, two recipes, three charts and a diagram of how lotus root feeds your gut. Rebuilt the soup and stir-fry ideas around chicken bone broth, olive or avocado oil and a little raw honey.

References

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

Read the full bio →

This article is for educational purposes. See our medical disclaimer.