The Art of NATURE, The Art of SCIENCE
Common names | American waterlily, Fragrant water-lily, Beaver root, Fragrant white water lily
Scientific name | Nymphaea odorata
Used part | Root
Known active compounds | quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin
Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory
Product name | American Waterlily-ANB
Plant Story
American waterlily (Nymphaea odorata) is an herbaceous hydrophyte plant native to southeastern North America. Plants in the Nymphaea family have long been used as food or ornamentally by Asians and Native Americans. Waterlilies have also been used as a traditional medicine. In particular, roots of American waterlily were consumed as a tea to treat soreness, sore throats, and rashes. Additionally, roots were used to treat coughs, colds, and toothaches.
American waterlily was shown to contain various phenolic compounds, such as glycosides of quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin, which have demonstrated biological activities. For instance, quercetin and kaempferol were found to inhibit the production of nitric oxide, an important inflammatory metabolite, in a concentration-dependent manner. These phenolic compounds are also known to be anti-oxidant.