Nymphaeaceae

 

Dotleaf Water-lily

Nymphaea ampla

Belize - March 2014

The Dotleaf Water-lily was traditionally used in ancient Mayan herbal remedies for the treatment of ulcers and skin diseases. It also has sedative properties due to the presence of chemicals closely related to apomorphine and it is said to produce similar euphoric effects to morphine in some people when it is prepared as a tea, possibly by metabolic conversion of the aporphine to apomorphine or by conversion during the preparation of the tea infusion.

Belize - February 2014