Mkhaan is not only multi-purpose but also it is interesting that Mkhaan or lotus seeds have a variety of names in different languages. India is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country with multiple languages and dialects. It is said that in India, the dialect and culture changes every hundred kilometres. Needless to say that Mkhaan, as it is called it Hindi, is known by different names in different states and regions across India. Globally also, while it is known as fox nut or gorgon nut, but different countries have different name in their local languages.
| Language | Name |
| English | Fox nut, Gorgon nut, Lotus Seeds, Prickly water lily |
| HindiMaithili | MkhaanMkhaan मखान |
| Punjabi | Kamala dā bīja |
| Telugu | Melluni padmamu |
| Marathi | कमळ बियाणे |
| Manipuri | Thangjing |
| Japanese | Hasu no mi |
| Assamese | Nikori |
| Korean | Ga-si-yeon |
| Spanish | Semilla de loto |
| Bengali | Padma bīja |
| Chinese | Qian Shi |
Interaction with different medicinal systems and supplements
- One of the foremost reasons of the global popularity of Mkhaan is that is it very beneficial and interacts positively with most medicinal systems and supplements.
- It is widely used in Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also Mkhaan or lotus seeds do not react with homeopathic medicine.
- It interacts well with various health supplements including omega 3 fatty acids and most dietary supplements.
Mkhaan – The preference of India
Bihar is the largest producer of the super food. Cultivation of Mkhaan in Bihar has seen an exponential growth owing to a huge demand for Mkhaan in different states of the country. In Bihar, districts like Darbhanga, Samastipur, Madhubani, Champaran, Saharsa, Katihar alone are responsible for 90% of the world production of Mkhaan.
- The demand is not just restricted to the domestic market. Globally, Mkhaan has become the first choice for the health conscious population of the world.
- The demand is not just restricted to the domestic market. Globally, Mkhaan has become the first choice for the health conscious population of the world.
- In India, Aquaculture has become popular as it promotes cultivation of Mkhaan and Fish. This is a sustainable and economical option for farmers and have positively impacted the livelihood of thousands of farmers.
- Farmers in India using Pond farming have to face many challenges as it is a more complicated way of farming. Detrimental to health of farmers, researchers are looking for a better farming solution. Therefore field system of Mkhaan cultivation is also now being widely used as it is a scalable form of cultivating Mkhaan. Also, it does not impact the health of the farmers and is easier to cultivate and harvest.
- With the ever growing demand of Mkhaan across all Indian States a lot of large companies and multi nationals have also jumped on the Mkhaan bandwagon and are manufacturing and distributing Mkhaan in different forms and packaging. Now a days Mkhaan is also being organically grown and are easily available in flakes and seeds, Mkhaan are organic and inorganic.
- Snacks and ready to eat industry has seen a preference of Mkhaan over rest of the snacks options like chips, wafers, namkeen etc. Even dry fruits have taken a back seat to Mkhaan as it is more economical.
