نيلوفر

نِيلُوفَرٌ, (Msb,) and نَيْلُوفَرٌ, (Msb, and so in the CK,) or نَيْلَوْفَرٌ, (so in copies of the K, and so accord. to the TA,) or, as some say, نَيْنُوفَرٌ, or نَيْنُوْفَرٌ, (accord. to different copies of the K,) [The nymphæa, or lotus of Egypt and of Syria;] a certain well-known plant; (Msb;) a kind of sweet-smelling plant, which grows in stagnant waters, (K, TA,) called by the people of Egypt بشنين, [i. e. بَشْنِين,] and by the vulgar نَوْفَر; (TA;) [both of which last names are now given in Egypt to the nymphæa lotus, or white lotus, found in the neighbourhoods of Rosetta and Damietta; and the former, also, or perhaps both, to the nymphæa cærulea, or blue lotus, found in the same parts, and, until within a few years, in a lake on the north of Cairo, called Birket erRatlee, whence I have twice procure roots of this plant:] نيلوفر [written in Persian نِيلْپَرْ and نِيلُوپَرْ and نِيلُوبَرْكْ &c.] is a Persian word (أَعْجَمِيَّةٌ), and is said to be composed of نِيل, [or indigo,] with which one dyes, and the name for a wing, [i. e., پَرْ;] as though “ winged with نِيل [or indigo]; ” because the leaf is as though its two wings were dyed [with indigo]: (Msb:) the plant so called is cold in the third degree, moist in the second degree, emollient, good for cough and for pains of the side and lungs and chest; when its root, or lower part, (أَصْل,) is kneaded with water, and used as a liniment, several times, it removes the disease called البَهَق; and when kneaded with زِفْت, it removes the disease called دَآءُ الثَّعْلَبِ: (K, TA:) an excellent beverage is also prepared from it. (TA.) The imám Bedred-Deen Mudhaffar, son of the Kádee of Baalabekk, says, in his book entitled Suroor en-Nefs, that it is of many species; whereof [one or more] in Syria, used in perfume; and a species in Egypt, blue; and that its temperament is cold and moist in the second degree; that the smelling it is useful against hot diseases, and anxiety; and its juice in like manner; and that the beverage prepared from it is useful as a remedy for cough and roughness [of the throat] and pain of the side and chest, and is a laxative. The author of the Irshád and that of the Moojiz also mention, that the beverage prepared from it is an exception from other sweet beverages inasmuch as it does not become converted into yellow bile, which is wonderful; and its oil is more cold and moist than that of violets; and there is no flower more cold and moist than it. Er-Rázee, too, says that the smelling it is one of the causes of weakening the generative faculty, and that the beverage is one of the causes of stopping it; [for which purpose, or as an antiaphrodisiac, it is used in the present day by some of the women of Cairo;] notwithstanding which, it rejoices the heart, and is useful for palpitation of the heart. This art. is omitted by J and Sgh and the author of the L. (TA.)