The blue lily, sometimes known as the blue waterlily or the blue lotus (nymphaea caerulea), was the most sacred plant of Ancient Egypt, prized above all others. It was frequently depicted in works of art, where it is most often shown in party and other social scenes, and sometimes in scenes of sexual debauchery. The Karnak temple walls are full of blue lilies. The flowers were noted for their delightful perfume, suggestive of the sweat of Ra - a divine essence. Despite its propensity for bringing euphoria, heightened awareness and tranquility, the blue lily was also a symbol of creation, and was according to legend the first object to emerge from oceanic chaos. Though exceedingly rare in the wild today it is thought to have been widespread across Ancient Egypt, where its psychoactive properties were apparently well known. Usually it was imbibed with wine; one of its possible active ingredients, nuciferine, is soluble in alcohol.

The blue lily was the emblem of the Egyptian god Nefertem, Lord of Perfumes, and was spoken of thus in the Book of the Dead: 'I am this pure lotus which went forth from the sunshine, which is at the nose of Ra; I have descended that I may seek it for Horus, for I am the pure one who issued from the fen... oh lotus belonging to the semblance of Nefertem...'

The blue lily is not toxic. Only in the last few years have scientific studies been made on it, notably during the Channel 4 series "Sacred Weeds". Tested by two volunteers, the blue lilies were first placed in alcohol, before, later, the lily heads were eaten. The effect was of alertness, contentment, relaxation, yet with a mischievous positivity - a kind of tranquil euphoria. The volunteers used such phrases as 'increased awareness' to describe their mental state. Later, there was a sedative effect.

And what do they taste like? Apparently the middle parts of the flower are quite sweet, with a glutinous texture, while the outer parts are 'bitter like homebrew cider'.

DEBATE ON THE BLUE LILY

Two sides of a debate have recently emerged concerning the flowers of the blue lily. In the "Sacred Weeds" it was suggested - following ingestion of the flowers and subsequent research - that a euphoric, psychoactive response was garnered from the blue lily (as described above). However, in the 2000 programme "Private Lives Of The Pharaohs" (another superb Channel 4 production) it was suggested that the active chemicals in the blue lily, here called the blue lotus, were by and large flavinoids. Flavinoids are not psychoactive chemicals, rather they have other effects in the human body, such as improving blood circulation, a factor that suggested the blue lily might have "a Viagra-like effect". Intriguing stuff. The blue lily does appear in scenes of a sexual nature, so this may be a link. The programme suggested there were no psychoactive chemicals present, but there were plenty of unknown peaks in their mass spectrometer analysis, suggesting there is far more research to be done.

Respect is due to Stapely Water Gardens for preserving specimens of this fascinating plant.