Saussurea involucrata is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. This species wasfirst scientifically described by Jinzō Matsumura & Gen-ichi Koidzumi in 1910.
This flower is known by the name snow lotus , from the Chinese 雪莲花 (snow lotus flower).
The reason it is called snow lotus (snow lotus) or Tianshan snow lotus (天山雪莲) is because this plant can grow, develop and flower even in extremely cold weather on the high rocky mountains. When in full bloom, this plant has the exact same shape as a lotus flower.
Since ancient times, this flower has been used by the Chinese as a precious medicine not inferior to ginseng. They have the ability to treat diseases such as headaches, high blood pressure and menstrual disorders. Tuyet Lien only grows on cliffs with an altitude of over 4,000m above sea level and can bloom right in the snow.
Snow lotus lives in the crevices of cliffs, craggy mountain slopes, extremely icy and cold places covered with white snow all year round. Normally flowers cannot exist here. However, Snow is strong and resilient and blooms in extreme conditions that lack oxygen, the temperature drops to minus tens of degrees. The extremely unique growth under that environment has made the snow lotus an extremely rare plant and also produces wonderful medicinal functions as well as magical effects. So much so that this flower is called the elixir or treasure of medicine.
According to DBW , snow lotus is known as the “King of the Hundred Herbs”. This is a rare species, growing only in the mountains 2,500-4,000 meters above sea level. It grows in rocky ravines, is a slow growing species, takes 5-7 years from germination to bloom, and only 5% of the seeds can germinate.
Snow lotus seeds germinate at 0 degrees Celsius, grow in 3-5 degrees Celsius, and withstand cold -21 degrees Celsius. It can germinate, grow and flower in a short time, which is the result. The result of adaptation to the harsh snowy mountain environment in the Xinjiang region, Tibet.
Although it takes 5-7 years from germination to bloom, its actual growth takes place only about 8 months. This is a unique biological feature that very few species have.
Snow lotus has been used in traditional Tibetan medicine for thousands of years. It is rich in alkaloids, flavonoids and other substances, has the effect of enhancing blood qi, especially effective in promoting blood circulation, thereby enhancing yin and yang for men and women. In addition, it has natural antipyretic and detoxifying properties, often used to cure rheumatism.
Source: wikipedia.org
