|
|
|
 |
I
N
D
I
A
N
M
E
D
I
C
I
N
A
L
P
L
A
N
T
S
Acorus calamus
Acorus calamus L., Araceae, is an important Indian medicinal plant, which occurs wild almost throughout India in marshy places, and up to 6,000 ft., in the Himalaya. It is abundant in Kashmir, Manipur and Naga Hills. It is widely cultivated in medicinal plant gardens. An Asian plant, but is also cultivated into Europe and America, where it is known a sweet flag. The leaves of a young plant and the dried rhizomes are illustrated.
Going by the samskrit name vacha or vasa, the rhizome is reputed to induce early and superior speaking abilities in infants. A paste of the rhizome is applied on the tongue.
The rhizome (underground stem) is an emetic, stomachic, used in dysentery particularly in children, colic, remittent fever, as a nerve tonic useful in epilepsy, in bronchitis, to control glandular and abdominal tumours and in snake bites.
The essential oil from the rhizome, called calamus oil, anticonvulsant, antiveratrinic and antiarrhythmic.
An alcoholic extract, without the essential oil, is a sedative and analgesic. It moderately depresses the blood pressure and respiration.
The rhizome is also insectcidal against houseflies, bed bugs, lice and moths.
Calamus oil is also used in perfumery.
A related species, Acorus gramineus Soland ex Ait., is also used for similar purposes and as a substitute for Acorus calamus.
The glucoside acorin and an essential oil are the active constituents. The essential is constituted of asarone (up to 80 per cent), calamenenol, calamene, calameon, eugenol, palmitic acid and sesquiterpenes. The leaves contain oxalic acid.