Acorus calamus

Acorus calamus L.

(Acorus calamus L.; Photo zizira.com and Katy chayka)

Latin Name: Acorus calamus L.

Family: Araceae, Genus: Acorus

Synonym Name: Acorus angustatus Raf.; Acorus angustifolius Schott; Acorus aromaticus Gilib.; Acorus belangeri Schott; Acorus calamus var. angustifolius (Schott) Engl.; Acorus calamus var. belangeri (Schott) Engl.; Acorus calamus var. calamus; Acorus calamus f. submersa Glück; Acorus calamus var. verus L.; Acorus calamus var. vulgaris L.; Acorus calamus-aromaticus Clairv.; Acorus casia Bertol.; Acorus commersonii Schott; Acorus commutatus Schott; Acorus elatus Salisb.; Acorus europaeus Dumort.; Acorus flexuosus Raf.; Acorus floridanus Raf.; Acorus griffithii Schott; Acorus nilghirensis Schott; Acorus odoratus Lam.; Acorus terrestris Spreng.; Acorus undulatus Stokes; Acorus verus (L.) Raf.; Acorus verus Garsault; Calamus aromaticus Garsault.

English Name: Drug Sweetflag, Calamus Sweetflag, Myrtle Flag, Sweet Flag, Grass.

Chinese name: 菖蒲 chang pu

Vietnamese Name: Thủy xương bồ; Bồ bồ núi

Description: Rhizome stout, 4-10(-20) × (0.8-)1-1.5(-3) cm, aromatic; roots at lower side of rhizome. Leaves several, mid-green, often reddish at base, ensiform, (60-)70-100(-150) × (0.7-)1-2(-2.5) cm (mostly 1-1.5 cm wide), apex acuminate; midrib conspicuous on both sides. Peduncle compressed triangular, (15-)40-50 cm. Spathe mid-green, leaflike, 30-50 cm, acute. Spadix straight or slightly curved, erect, oblique, narrowly conic to subcylindric (tapering toward apex), 4.5-6.5(-8) × 0.6-1.2(-1.5) cm, densely flowered. Flowers yellowish green, 1.8-2 mm in diam. seen from above; tepals oblong, 2.5-3 × 1-1.2(-1.4) mm, keeled, membranous, apex triangular hooded; filaments oblong, flat, 2-2.5 × 0.3-0.5 mm, anthers cream-colored, 0.4-0.5 mm in diam.; pollen grains ca. 20 µm, exine shallowly and remotely foveolate; gynoecium obconic-cylindric, 2.5-3.5(-4) × (0.8-)1-2.3 mm, with conic, spongy apex and stigma very small. Infructescence 1.5-2 cm in diam., straw-brown at maturity, berries densely arranged. Berry oblong-obovoid, 1- to few seeded, (3.5-)4-4.5 × 2-3(-3.5) mm. Seed oblong-ellipsoid to ovoid, 2.5-3(-4) × 1-1.2(-1.8) mm, without bristles; testa light brown, subsmooth and slightly foveolate. Flowering: February to September.

Distribution: Growing in shallow water by ponds, rivers and lake shores. Distributed in the southern and northern parts of China. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Tibet.

Part Used: Medical part: rhizome. Chinese name: Cangchangpu.

Harvest & Processing: Excavated in autumn and winter, removed fibrous roots and sediment, and sun-dried. Stored in ventilated and dried place.

Chemistry: The essential oils, phenyl propanoids, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, xanthone, glycosides, flavones, lignans, steroids and inorganic constituents.

- Mainly contains volatile oil (includes β‐ asarone, α‐ asarone, elemicine, cisisoelemicine, cis and trans isoeugenol and their methyl ethers, camphene, P‐ cymene, α‐ selinene, bgurjunene, β‐ cadinene, camphor, terpinen‐ 4‐ ol, aterpineol and a calacorene, acorone, acrenone, acoragermacrone, 2‐ deca -4,7 dienol, shyobunones, linalool and preisocalamendiol).

- Sesquiterpenes, 1 β, 7 α(H)‐ cadinane‐ 4α, 6 α,10α‐ triol (1), 1α,5 β‐ guaiane‐ 10α‐ O‐ ethyl 4β,6 β‐ diol (2), and 6β,7β(H)-cadinane‐ 1α, 4α, 10α‐ triol (3), together with 25 known ones, from the rhizome of Acorus calamus

Pharmacology:

A. calamus rhizome such as sedative, CNS depressant, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic, cardiovascular, hypolipidemic, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, cryoprotective, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, anticancer and antidiabetic

Properties & Actions: Bitter, acrid, warm. Bitter, pungent, warm. Warming the stomach, anti-inflammatory and relieving pain.

Indications & Usage:

- Used for tonification of gastric yang, dyspepsia, dyspeptic disease, diphtheria, anthrax, etc.. Oral administration: decocting, 3-6g.

- The Asian and European countries to treat appetite loss, diarrhoea, digestive disorders, bronchitis indigestion, chest pain, nervous disorders

Examples:     

1. Treat stroke and facial distortion: fresh drug sweetflag root 15g, crystal sugar 15g. Stew with boiled water and swallow.

2. Treat stomachache: fresh drug sweetflag root 6-9g, decoct and swallow with refined sugar.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- Deepak Chandra, Kundan Prasad; Phytochemicals of Acorus calamus (Sweet flag); Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies 2017; 5(5): 277-281

- Rajput SB, Tonge MB, Karuppayil SM. An overview on traditional uses and pharmacological profile of Acorus calamus Linn. (Sweet flag) and other Acorus species. Phytomedicine. 2014;21(3):268–276. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2013.09.020