Verdict No. 3079 · Search date 2026-09-08 · Methodology v1.0
Lotus plumule tea or single-ingredient plumule extract,
does it really help with Improvement of sleep quality in adults with insomnia?
30-Second Summary
?
Evidence Grade ? · Safety caution
Legacy grade under review
Only insomnia sleep quality with single-ingredient lotus plumule is considered; whole seed, leaf, rhizome, and combinations remain separate.
Caution. One participant in the 50-person preliminary study reported mild palpitations. Lotus plumule may contain higenamine and poses anti-doping risk for athletes; pregnancy, lactation, cardiovascular disease, drug interactions, and long-term safety are not established.
What the
research showsJudgment is deferred. A Thai 50-person single-arm study reported PSQI falling from 15.24 to 1.82 after lotus-plumule capsules, but without randomization, placebo, or a concurrent comparator it cannot separate natural history, regression, and expectation effects. No eligible controlled single-ingredient plumule trial was identified.
research showsJudgment is deferred. A Thai 50-person single-arm study reported PSQI falling from 15.24 to 1.82 after lotus-plumule capsules, but without randomization, placebo, or a concurrent comparator it cannot separate natural history, regression, and expectation effects. No eligible controlled single-ingredient plumule trial was identified.
What the
ads claimTraditional insomnia use, animal sleep time, and an uncontrolled PSQI change cannot support claims of replacing hypnotics, treating insomnia, or long-term safety.
ads claimTraditional insomnia use, animal sleep time, and an uncontrolled PSQI change cannot support claims of replacing hypnotics, treating insomnia, or long-term safety.
Useful facts when choosing a product
- This verdict applies only to the displayed lotus part, formulation, route, population, claim, endpoint, and comparator.
- Leaf, plumule, whole seed, rhizome, node, tea, extract, food, juice, and combination products are not interchangeable.
- Caution. One participant in the 50-person preliminary study reported mild palpitations. Lotus plumule may contain higenamine and poses anti-doping risk for athletes; pregnancy, lactation, cardiovascular disease, drug interactions, and long-term safety are not established.
Chamgap Semantic Classification Code
Candidate index · review held
K.lotus-plumule.oral.sleep-quality.improve.UNKFolk and alternative interventions > Lotus plumule > Oral > Insomnia sleep quality > Improvement claim > Comparator unknown
A 50-person single-arm PSQI before-after study exists, but without a comparator the treatment-effect contract cannot be fixed. Whole seed, leaf, rhizome, and Rhodiola combinations are separate. This machine-generated migration candidate helps retrieval but is not a permanent assignment. The original verdict ID and URL remain authoritative.
Exact Claim Classification
These independent facets prevent evidence from different forms, routes, populations, effects, and comparators from being mixed.
| Intervention class | K · Folk or alternative practice |
|---|---|
| Canonical ingredient or intervention | Lotus plumule (seed embryo) |
| Source or part used | Green embryo (plumule) inside mature Nelumbo nucifera seed; cultivar and origin unverified |
| Formulation or processing | The Thai preliminary study used plumule capsules; no controlled tea or standardized single-extract formulation was verified |
| Route | Oral |
| Dose | Unverified (no eligible controlled trial) |
| Duration | Unverified (no eligible controlled trial) |
| Population | Adults with insomnia symptoms |
| Effect or condition | Improved sleep quality |
| Primary endpoint | PSQI; eligible controlled endpoint contract unverified |
| Comparator | No concurrent comparator in the identified 50-person single-arm study; a separate eligible controlled trial was not identified in the retained search |
| Duplicate-detection key | Lotus plumule (seed embryo)|The Thai preliminary study used plumule capsules; no controlled tea or standardized single-extract formulation was verified|Oral|Adults with insomnia symptoms|Improved sleep quality|Unverified (no eligible controlled trial) |
What the research actually shows
The 2024 Thai report, the PMID 38931222 combination, the PMID 31973198 human exposure study, and the PMID 19010651 animal sedation study were separated by part, formulation, and endpoint.
Why this is classified as ?
Direct single-arm human evidence exists, but an eligible controlled trial was not identified in the retained search. Comparative efficacy remains unestablished, so ? and a null score are retained. This does not mean that no human research exists. The permanent semantic code remains on hold.
Counterpoint. The large before-after PSQI change supports the need for a placebo-controlled follow-up, but its magnitude cannot itself be used as a treatment effect.
Rejudgment record. Independent Codex cross-check — One exact plant part, formulation, population, claim, endpoint, and comparator
Evidence Table
| Study | Design | Sample | Funding | Endpoint | Result | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ประสิทธิผลและความปลอดภัยของดีบัว (Nelumbo nucifera) ช่วยการนอนหลับ | Purposively sampled single-arm before-and-after pilot; no randomization, placebo, or concurrent comparator. | 50 patients with insomnia. | Raw-material and manufacturing support from Panaosod and an author affiliated with its laboratory; separate cash funding, patents, and complete conflicts of interest unverified. | Before-and-after PSQI sleep-quality scores. | 15.24 ± 1.19 to 1.82 ± 0.69; paired P<.05. No between-group effect estimate: there was no comparator group. | Direct human study of lotus-plumule capsules, but comparative efficacy cannot be estimated. |
| Potential Risk of Higenamine Misuse in Sports: Evaluation of Lotus Plumule Extract Products and a Human Study | Single-arm human exposure and urinary pharmacokinetic study. | 6 healthy men. | Academic research and product analysis; funding details unverified in the retained record. | Urinary higenamine, not sleep. | After 0.8 g three times daily for 3 days, all six exceeded the WADA reporting threshold cited in the study; this is a historical study result, not verification of current anti-doping rules. | Matching plant part and human exposure, but a different efficacy endpoint; used only for safety context. |
| Mixture of Rhodiola rosea and Nelumbo nucifera Extracts Ameliorates Sleep Quality of Adults with Sleep Disturbance | Single-arm study of a 2:1 mixture of Rhodiola root and lotus seed extracts. | 20 enrolled; 13 completed. | Authors included LG H&H employees. | ISI, PSQI, and sleep diaries. | Before-and-after improvement; no placebo comparator. | Excluded from direct efficacy evidence because the plant part, combination product, and comparator do not match. |
Receipt — 3 References
Retained evidence-access date: 2026-09-08. This correction checked record consistency; it did not reverify every original source or recertify the grade.
Makmoon S et al. Journal of Thai Traditional Medicine Research. 2024;10(1):1-16. PMID, DOI, and registration identifier unverified.
15.24 ± 1.19 to 1.82 ± 0.69; paired P<.05. No between-group effect estimate: there was no comparator group. Direct human study of lotus-plumule capsules, but comparative efficacy cannot be estimated.
Retained record · not newly source-verifiedYen CC et al. Nutrients. 2020;12:285. PMID: 31973198. PMCID: PMC7070534. DOI: 10.3390/nu12020285.
After 0.8 g three times daily for 3 days, all six exceeded the WADA reporting threshold cited in the study; this is a historical study result, not verification of current anti-doping rules. Matching plant part and human exposure, but a different efficacy endpoint; used only for safety context.
Retained record · not newly source-verifiedKim Y et al. Nutrients. 2024;16:1867. PMID: 38931222. PMCID: PMC11206944. DOI: 10.3390/nu16121867.
Before-and-after improvement; no placebo comparator. Excluded from direct efficacy evidence because the plant part, combination product, and comparator do not match.
Retained record · not newly source-verifiedCodex compared retained study and verdict records with ChatGPT's methodological consistency review. No new literature search, full-text acquisition, or external expert review was performed.
This correction by: Codex · Evidence date: 2026-09-08 · Corrections: 1
This correction by: Codex · Evidence date: 2026-09-08 · Corrections: 1
Correction log — 1
Corrections applied to this verdict, in chronological order. Changes are logged, not erased.
- 2026-09-14 · Editorial correction and legacy-grade review notice — Translated 18 English evidence fields and citation details; separated existing human evidence, no comparator, and unverified identifiers. Grade and score are retained, not certified as a new final assessment. (grade ? unchanged)
Cite the review status too
Legacy grade under review. New grade-card distribution is on hold.
[Chamgap] Single-Ingredient Lotus Plumule for Insomnia Sleep Quality—A 50-Person Before-After Study Exists, but No Eligible Controlled Trial — legacy ? · score not listed, under review. https://chamgap.com/en/verdicts/sleep/lotus-plumule-insomnia-sleep-quality/ · CC BY 4.0What this document does and does not do
Chamgap is an information source. It reports what research has and has not confirmed; it does not tell readers what to take or buy. That decision belongs to readers and, when needed, medical or legal professionals. This verdict reflects literature available up to the search date and may change as new research appears. Nothing here is medical advice.