White pond lily, Water Cabbage, Water Nymph, Cow Lily, cow cabbage

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 7 min read

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For severe symptoms, danger signs, pregnancy, child illness, or sudden worsening, seek urgent medical care.

বাংলা রোগী নোট এখনো যোগ করা হয়নি। পোস্ট এডিটরে “RX Bangla Patient Mode” বক্স থেকে সহজ বাংলা সারাংশ যোগ করুন।

এই তথ্য শিক্ষা ও সচেতনতার জন্য। এটি ডাক্তারি পরীক্ষা, রোগ নির্ণয় বা প্রেসক্রিপশনের বিকল্প নয়।

Article Summary

The Lily family embraces many economically important genera, including sources of fibers, food (Onion, Garlic), spices, resins, medicines, soap, poisons, and essential oils. However the so-called water lily (Nymphaea) and Calla lily (Calla palustris) are not members of the Lily family. White pond lily grows in ponds, with large, round, dark-green leaves, floating in the water, bearing a large white flower that looks like a large...

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

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Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

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Start here Choose the right pathway for symptoms, reports, medicines, or urgent warning signs. Disease article roadmap Read this topic step by step: meaning, symptoms, warning signs, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and follow-up. Treatment planner Prepare questions about treatment choices, benefits, risks, side effects, and follow-up. Family & caregiver guide Organize symptoms, reports, medicines, questions, and follow-up safely. Nutrition & diet guide Prepare food, hydration, supplement, and medicine-timing questions safely. Prevention guide Organize risk factors, protective habits, screening, and warning signs. Recovery guide Prepare a safe plan for activity, rehabilitation, warning signs, and follow-up.

Definition

It is widely distributed in quiet tools and ponds in North and Central America. It is a hardy and native plant that gloats its round foliage and produces fragrant, white, multipetaled flowers just above the water. It grows in standing water about 18 inches deep and spreads by means of rhizomes. Each leaf lasts about six weeks before turning yellow. Each flower lasts several days, flowers close in the late afternoon and at night. Use it in traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac, astringent, anodyne, sedative, cardiotonic, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।" data-rx-term="inflammation" data-rx-definition="Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।">inflammation, pain, or swelling. সহজ বাংলা: প্রদাহ/ফোলা/ব্যথা কমায়।" data-rx-term="anti-inflammatory" data-rx-definition="Anti-inflammatory means reducing inflammation, pain, or swelling. সহজ বাংলা: প্রদাহ/ফোলা/ব্যথা কমায়।">anti-inflammatory, and analgesic agent. The plant has a calming and sedative effect on the nervous system and can be used for treating and managing insomnia and anxiety disorders.

Leaves

Leaves are 10 to 30 cm wide, heart-shaped, and broadly rounded. The upper side of the leaf is water repellant and glossy green. The underside is purplish-red.

Flowers

The flowers are very smelly. Sepals are purplish on the back, elliptical or egg-shaped and sword-shaped measuring 3.16 inches long, 1 inch wide. It has more than 25 petals usually white.

Fruit

Flowers give way to globe-shaped fruits about 1 to 1.19 inches in diameter.

Seeds

Seeds are 3-D ellipse shape measuring 0.08 inches long.

Facts of Fragrant Water Lily

Name	Fragrant Water Lily
Scientific Name	Nymphea odorata
Common/English Name	White pond lily, Water Cabbage, Water Nymph, Sweet Scented Pond Lily, Cow Lily, American white waterlily, cow cabbage, fragrant water lily, sweet scented water lily, sweet water lily, toad lily, water cabbage, water nymph, white pond lily, white water lily
Flowering Season	Summer and early fall
Flower	White, showy and fragrant, 6 inches in diameter
Medicinal part	The root

Uses

An old-fashioned home remedy brought into use by the Indians, the knowledge of which has been passed down for generations. There are few remedies that act more promptly than this in old cases of leucorrhoea, where there is a chronic infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।" data-rx-term="inflammation" data-rx-definition="Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।">inflammation of the womb or abrasion of the vagina, and for ulceration of the womb it has proven efficacious, having completely cured the disease after all other available means have failed. It should be used locally, by injection of the infusion to the neck of the womb, and taken internally. Very accommodating in cases of dropsy and kidney trouble, catarrh of the bladder, irritation of the prostate. Has been used largely for diarrhea and bowel complaints, excellent for infant diarrhea, scrofula and diseases of the lungs. The infusion is healing to sores, ulcerated mouth, inflamed gum, canker, sore throat.

Dose

1 oz. of the root boiled in 1 pint of water for 20 min., taken from wineglassful to teacupful amounts two or three times a day. Of the fluid extract, 10–15 drops, morning and night.

Externally

The fresh juice of the root mixed with lemon juice is excellent for removing freckles, pimples and dark discolorations of the skin. Make a strong tea for use as a local application applied with Turkish towels, or white cotton, for painful swellings, boils, ulcers, etc. The bruised leaves are healing to wounds and cuts applied as a poultice.

Homeopathic Clinical

Tincture of the root—Back (pain in), Coryza, Diarrhoea, Throat (sore).

Russian Experience

In Russian literature, mention is made of two kinds of Pond lily—Kuvshinka Nymphaea alba and Nymphaea candida. They are slightly different but used medically the same way. In some undisturbed areas of ponds, lakes and slow-running water up to 6 ft. deep, Lily’s will cover the peaceful surface.

Folk Medicine use both species as astringent for female trouble of amenorrhoea.

Clinically

The rhizome is used medically for papilloma of the kidney and acidic gastritis.

Culinary uses

Flower buds are cooked as vegetables or pickled.
Young flower are consumed raw.
Leaves are consumed raw or cooked.
It is used in soups and stews.
Roots are boiled or roasted.
Ripe seeds are cooked or ground into a meal.

Medicinal uses

Roots tea is used for treating TB, diarrhea, chronic bronchial complaints, inflamed glands, gonorrhea, mouth sores and stop bleeding.
Root poultice is used for treating boils, swellings, inflamed skin, vaginitis and tumors.

References

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

Write when the problem started and how it changed.
Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
Basic physical examination by a clinician
CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Avoid heavy lifting, sudden bending, and prolonged bed rest.
Use comfortable posture and gentle movement as tolerated.
Discuss physiotherapy, X-ray, or MRI only when clinically needed.

OTC medicine safety

For mild back pain, pain-relief medicine may be discussed with a doctor or pharmacist.
Avoid repeated painkiller use if you have kidney disease, stomach ulcer, uncontrolled blood pressure, or are taking blood thinners.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Back pain with leg weakness, numbness around private area, loss of urine/stool control, fever, cancer history, or major injury needs urgent care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Doctor / qualified healthcare provider

Tests to discuss with doctor

Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first

If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story

Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician

A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests

Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse

If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

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Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.

References

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