ACORUS CALLAMUS

ACORUS CALLAMUS

Common name: Sweet Flag, calamus, flagroot, sweet cane, sweet grass, sweetroot, sweet rush •Hindi: बच Bach, घोरबच Ghorbach, सफ़ेद बच Safed bach • Manipuri: ওকহিদাক Okhidak • Marathi: Vekhand •Tamil: Vashambu, pullai-valathi • Malayalam: vaembu, vashampa • Kannada: baje, vasa, athibaje •Bengali: bach, ghorabach • Assamese: bach • Mizo: hnim-rimtui • Sanskrit: Bacha, Bhadra, Vacha •Nepali: बोझो Bojho, Gujarati  : Bach

Botanical name: Acorus calamus  

Family: Araceae (Arum family)

Geographical distribution

The plant occurs throughout India and also being cultivated as a medicinal plant.

Introduction : Sweet Flag is a perennial herb 1-4 ft tall, consisting of tufts of basal leaves that emerge directly from a spreading rootstock. These basal leaves are erect and sword-shaped, resembling Iris leaves. They are flattened, smooth along the margins, and have parallel veins. There is often an off-center ridge/indentation along the length of each leaf. Sometimes the base of the leaves or their margins are slightly red. The inflorescence is a cylindrical spadix that is about 2–4 inches in length and semi-erect. This spadix is covered with tiny greenish yellow flowers in a diamond- shaped pattern. Each flower has 6 tepals and 6 stamens. The covering spathe, which is found in many plants of the same family, is absent here. The blooming period occurs from late spring to early summer and lasts about a month. Both the crushed foliage and rootstocks have a pleasant aromatic fragrance. The root system consists of shallow branching rhizomes that are stout and knobby. Tufts of basal leaves occur at intervals along these rhizomes, while coarse fibrous roots develop below. This plant multiplies by its rhizomes. Flowering: March-May.

Chemical composition

The dried rhizome contain a yellow, bitter aromatic volatile oil, which contains a-pinene, d-camphene, acorin, asaraldehyde, calamene, calamenol, calamenone, and a small amount of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene alcohols. Fresh leaves contain oxalic acid, and calcium. The Indian oil has much higher asarone content than the commercial oil. It also contains a bitter amorphous alkaloid

acorin.

Therapeutic uses

The volatile oil is used in perfumery and for flavouring gin, beer etc. Rhizome isused as aromatic, anti-spasmodic, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac, astringent, bitter tonic,carminative, diuretic, expectorant, emetic, emmenagogue, insecticide, nervine tonic,sedative and tranquilizer. Indicated in antiperiodic fevers, calculus affections,constipation, colic, capillary bronchitis, disturbing cough, diarrhoea and dysentery,dyspepsia, epilepsy, fever, flatulence, hysteria and neuralgia, insanity, memorysharpener and longevity enlarger, piles and teething trouble remover.

Folk medicinal uses

12gm Rhizome of Vach is ground and given in fever to children thrice daily for 2-3 days. The medicine is effective particularly during summer. An infusion or decoction of rhizome is given to remove stone from kidney and bladder.

Preparations

Saraswati churna, medhya-rasayan, sudarshan-churna, vacha-yog, sanjivanivati,devdarvati-kwath, karanjadi-yog, yograj-guggulu, laghu-vis-garva-taila, kukuvadichurna,chandraprabha-vati.

Flowers and Fruits : April-July