Sweet Flag
(Acorus calamus L.)
Common names: Sweet Sedge, Sweet Rush, Sweet Root, Myrtle Grass, Sweet Myrtle.
This aquatic plant grows by ponds, lakes, marshes and the banks of quiet waters. The rhizomes out of which numerous swordshaped leaves shoot up to 1 metre high, creep horizontally through the mud at water’s edge. The flat scape carries in its middle a cone-shaped, greenish to brownish yellow spadix. The root, the thickness of a thumb and up to 1 metre long, has a pungent, bitter taste when fresh. When dried the taste is milder. The roots are gathered in early spring or late autumn.
Calamus roots are not only used, because of their strenghtening effects, for overall weakness of the digestive system and flatulence as well as colic, but are also helpful for glandular disorders and gout. The roots stimulate a sluggish stomach and intestine and dissipate excess mucus. As well one can recommend them for slow metabolism and underactivity of the intestine, anaemia and dropsy.
Extremely thin people, who have lost weight but not through lack of good food, should drink Calamus root tea and occasionally take a Calamus root full bath. Calamus improves the appetite, helps in kidney disorders and is a good remedy for cleansing the whole system. The tea even helps children who suffer from indigestibility of grain, which occurs more and more in recent times. The dried roots, chewed slowly, help smokers to break the habit. Weak eyes are strengthened if the freshly pressed juice of the Calamus roots is brushed over the closed eyelids from time to time, the juice being left on the lids for a few minutes and rinsed off with cold water.
Repeatedly I have been able to help in cases of chilblains and other forms of frostbite, with warm Calamus baths. The roots are steeped overnight in cold water and next day brought to the boil. Infuse for five minutes. Then bathe the affected part for 20 minutes in the somewhat cooled (not too hot) infusion. It can be warmed and re-used up to four times. These baths also help those who suffer from cold hands and feet, but in these cases the infusion is used as hot as possible.
A 36 year old man could not regain his strength after a tumour on the liver had been removed. In intervals of 4 to 5 weeks, he had attacks of high fever, due to tubercles in the intestines. His deeply troubled mother-in-law told me of his hopeless illness. Here, too, Calamus has helped. It is understandable that in such serious cases the tea has to be drunk for weeks, if not for months.
On a mountain hike I met a couple, who, laden with heavy backpacks, were walking uphill. They wanted to spend a few relaxing days in a non-serviced hut. On a rest spot I joined them and I learned the following:
A year ago the man, 1.85 metre tall, in his late fifties, had become a skeleton, without knowing the reason of his illness. Weighing only 45 kilo, he, in company of a nurse, stepped into the surgery of his doctor, who was telephoning another doctor, and heard: “I am sending you my most hopeless patient − cancer of the lungs.” So, unwittingly, this man learned the diagnosis of his Illness. Afterwards someone advised him to chew Calamus roots to break his smoking habit and to drink Yarrow tea,1 mornings and evenings. Slowly his weight increased and since he felt better, he did not return to the doctor. About half a year later he again went to the surgery of his doctor; who was most taken aback, since he had thought this man dead. “What did you do?” was all he could say. “Chewed Calamus roots and drank Yarrow tea”, replied the man. "Calamus roots?, where do you find them?” “They are sold in herbal shops for a few shillings.”
The man at this time had reached his normal weight of 86 kilos and it was half a year later that he undertook a mountain hike, carrying a fully laden backpack, when I met him.
Every time I think of his story, mentioning it in my talks or noting it down, as for you now, it seems to me a Godly Providence and I am touched to my innermost. My mother was very ill, she had indescribable pains in the intestines and the doctor told me one day, I should expect the worst − cancer. This was at a time I had little to do with herbs, although even then I used natural remedies and never took pills. The doctor’s words troubled me deeply. I was hardly able to accomplish the usual work. Against my habit − my day begins at 6 o’clock in the morning and ends at about 11 o’clock at night − I retired to bed shortly after 8 p.m. As I was thinking about the hopeless state of my mother, the door opened, my husband came in, put a small radio at my bedside and said: “So that you are not alone.” Shortly afterwards a voice on the radio said: “This is your family doctor speaking. With Calamus roots every disorder of the stomach and the intestines is cleared up, be it stubborn, old or malignant. Take a level teaspoon of Calamus roots and soak them overnight in a cup of cold water. Warm the liquid slightly in the morning, strain and take one sip of it before and one sip after each meal. That makes 6 sips a day, more should not be taken. The tea should be warmed in a waterbath before each use. This remedy refers to the entire gastro-intestinal tract, including liver, gallbladder, spleen and pancreas.” Overjoyed, I related this to my mother the next morning, but she said with a resigned movement of the hand: “No one and nothing can help me.” I got the Calamus roots and used them as described above. It borders on a miracle, when I tell you that already after 14 days all discomfort had subsided. Weekly my mother now gained 400 gm. She had lost a lot of weight before. Because of this occurrence I gradually became interested in herbalism and was able to help in many hopeless cases. Particularly the Calamus roots brought about startling results again and again.
Where there is too much or too little acid in the stomach, the Calamus roots even it out.
A woman from Vorarlberg, the western part of Austria, suffered from stomach pains for 2 years and could not be without pills. Following my advice, she took 6 sips of Calamus root tea a day and after 3 days the pain was gone; it has not recurred.
Another woman from Lower Austria, suffered from duodenal ulcers for years. To be able to cope with the pain, she relied very much on pills. She could not tolerate solid foods and had no appetite. Told about Calamus roots, she took the recommended 6 sips daily. The pain steadily subsided and, after 5 weeks, had gone completely, her appetite returned and she could join the other members of her family in a hearty meal.
An elderly priest suffering from diarrhoea for years, had resigned himself to the situation. Following my advice he began to take 6 sips of Calamus root tea daily. In a short time he was back to normal.
A small boy, who, despite a strict diet, suffered from diarrhoea (diarrhea) got well after taking 6 sips of Calamus root tea, his appetite returned and he gained a few pounds. His mother was overjoyed.
A man suffering from bloody diarrhoea for 10 years had turned, understandably, from a happy carefree person into a miserable one. Everything he had tried all these years was without success. He was pensioned off still fairly young. Before Easter he started, at first suspiciously, to take 6 sips of Calamus root tea daily and besides this he drank 2 cups of Calendula tea.2 My surprise was great when I received a letter from his wife telling me he had started work again at the beginning of June.
DIRECTIONS
Infusion: The Calamus root tea is only prepared as a cold-infusion. A level teaspoon of Calamus roots is soaked in ¼ litre of cold water overnight, lightly warmed in the morning and strained. Before using, warm the tea in a waterbath.
Fresh juice: Fresh roots are cleaned thoroughly and, still wet, put in a juice extractor.
Full bath:3 About 200 gm. of Calamus roots are soaked in 5 litres of cold water overnight, brought to the boil the next day, allowed to infuse and added to the bath water.4
ACORUS CALAMUS, Linn. H.F.B.I., VI. 555. Roxb. 296.
Sans.: — Vâchâ (talking), shaḍgrantha (six-knotted), ugragandha (strong-smelling), jatila (having entangled hair).
Vern.: — Bach, gor bach (H.); Bach (B.); Gandilovaj, goda vaj (Guz.); Vekhand (Mar.); Bariboj; warch (Pb.); Vashambu (Tam.); Vasa, wasa, wadaja (Tel.); Vashampa (Mal.); Baje (Kan.)
Habitat: — Cultivated in damp, marshy places in India; exceedingly common in Manipur and Naga Hills.
An aromatic marsh herb. Root-stock creeping, very aromatic and branching, as thick as the middle finger. Leaves with a stout mid-rib, 3-6in. by ⅔-1½in., bright-green, acute, thickened in the middle, margins waved. Spathe 6-30in. long, pedicel (formed often connate pedicels and spathe) 1½-1¼in. broad. Peduncle ⅛-⅜in. broad, leaf-like. Spadix 2-4in. by ½-¾in. diam. obtuse, slightly curved, green. Sepals as long as the ovary, scarious. Anthers yellow. Fruit turbinate, prismatic, top pyramidal.
Uses: — The aromatic rhizome or root-stock is considered emetic in large doses, and stomachic and carminative in smaller doses. (U. C. Dutt.) It is a simple useful remedy for flatulence, colic, or dyspepsia, and a pleasant adjunct to tonic or purgative medicines. It is also used in remittent fevers and ague by the native doctors, and is held in high esteem as an insectifuge, especially for fleas. In Voigt’s Hortus Suburbanus Calcuttensis occurs the following (taken from Thomson’s Mat. Med.): “The root has been employed in medicine since the time of Hippocrates. By the moderns it is successfully used in intermittent fevers, even after bark has failed, and it is certainly a very useful addition to Cinchona. It is also a useful adjunct to bitter and stomachic infusions.” It is also much valued by the Manipuris, especially in the treatment of coughs or sore-throats. For this purpose a small piece is chewed for a few minutes. It contains a bitter principle, acorine and an alkaloid calamine, useful in dysentery (I. M. G. 1875, p. 39.)
The root used by the free Indians of Hudson’s Bay territory in coughs. Mr. Holmes remarks that “it is not a little singular that there is hardly a country where this plant grows that the rhizome is not used in medicine. (Ph. J. Oct. 18, 1884, p. 302.)
“In Meerut the rhizome, with bhang and ajowain in equal parts, is powdered and used as a fumigation in painful piles.” (Surg.-Maj. W. Moir and Asst. Surg. T. N. Ghose, Meerut.) “I found the root extremely useful in the dysentery of children, and also in bronchitic affections — vide Ind. Med, Gaz. for Feb. 1875, p. 39, for further particulars.” (Surg. B. Evers, M.D., Wardha.)
As a stomachic in flatulency, in the form of infusion,
Bruised root ... ... ... 1 oz.
Boiling water ... ... ... 14 „
Dose: 1 ounce and a half thrice daily. (Surgeon C. M. Russell, Sarun.)
“The root, rubbed up with water or spirit, is used as a counter-irritant to the chest in the catarrh of children. It is generally supposed that the smell is disliked by the cobra, on which it produces a narcotic effect. For this reason it is cultivated near dwellings and chewed by snake-catchers.” (Surgeon H. McCalman, M.D., Ratnagiri.) “Bach is commonly used to allay distressing cough. I use it much for this purpose, with excellent results. A small piece of the dried root-stock kept in the mouth acts better than many cough lozenges. It produces a warm sensation in the mouth and a beneficial flow of saliva,” (Surg.-Maj. R. L. Dutt, M.D., Pubna.)
“The rhizome is emetic, nauseant, antispasmodic, carminative, stomachic, stimulant, and insecticide. As an emetic it is more nauseant and depressent than Ipecacuanha, and it is therefore useful in most of the diseases in which the latter is indicated, including dysentery. It is one of the two vegetable drugs in this country which act efficiently as emetics in so small a dose as 30 grains. It should not be used in more than 35 grains, and in 40 grains its action is very violent and obstinate. It is a good remedy in asthma, to relieve which, it should be first used in pretty large or nauseant doses (15 to 20 grains) and then repeated every 2 or 3 hours in smaller or expectorant doses (10 grains) till relieved. Among other diseases which are most benefited by this drug are bronchial catarrh, hysteria, neuralgia, and some forms of dyspepsia. The rhizome can also be used in the form of a tincture or an infusion.” (Hony. Surg. Moodeen Sheriff, Madras.)
“The rootstock is burnt to charcoal, then pulverised. 10 to 20 grains of this powder mixed with water is given to counteract the effect of croton. Is considered as an antidote in cases of croton-poisoning.” (Surgeon W. A. Lee, Mangalore.)
“The burnt root acts as an astringent in infantile diarrhœa.” (Asst. Surg. Ruthnam T. Moodelliar, Chingleput.) “In 3-grain doses it is very effectual in relieving the colic of small children.” (Surg.-Maj. John North, Bangalore.)
“In Western India it is used externally as an application on bruises and rheumatism rubbed up with the spirits made from the Cashew-nut fruit.” (Surg.-Maj. C. T. Peters, South Afghanistan.)
Powdered rhizome is used for removing fleas from water in which the rhizome is steeped for a day or more, and is given to fowls for the same purpose (K. R. K.).
Gildemeister and Hofflman (Volatile Oils (written under the auspices of Schimmel & Co.). 302) say that though the oil has been repeatedly examined no satisfactory insight into its chemical nature has been obtained. It is used in “the manufacture of liquors and of snuff,” but is less in demand than formerly for medicinal purposes. Native Medical practitioners consider the rhizome in large doses an emetic, in small doses tonic or stomachic and carminative. It is proscribed in cases of fever, rheumatism and dyspepsia, as well as for flatulence even in infants. It is also a pleasant adjunct to tonic or purgative medicines, and as an aromatic stimulant is recommended for catarrh and distressing coughs. Dr. Childe, Second Physician to the Sir Jamsotji Jijibhai Hospital, Bombay, tried an authentic tincture for malaria, dyspepsia, dysentery and chronic bronchitis, and after careful experiment pronounced it inert. Linschoten, who studied the cultivation of sweet-flag in Gujarat and Deccan (A. D. 1598), mentions a preparation called arata (a mixture of the rhizome of sweet-flag with garlic, cumin seeds, salt, sugar and butter) which was used as a strengthening medicine for horses. Nicholson (Man. Coimbatore, 247) refers to its use in the treatment of foot and mouth disease. [Cf. also Taleef Shereef (Playfair, transl.) 1833, 34.] — (Watt’s Commercial Products of India, p. 24).
The following constituents have been recognised in the essential oil of Acorus calamus: — Free normal heptylic and palmitic acids, eugenol, asaryl aldehyde, esters of acetic and palmitic acids, the crystalline body, C15H26O2, m. pt. 168°C. named Calameone and asarone, C12H16O3. Asarone forms a solid compound with phosphoric or arsenic acid, in the same manner as cineol (eucalyptol). During the reaction it becomes polymerised, forming parasarone (C12H16O3)3, a product which becomes transparent and vitreous at 173°C., and melts at 203°C., and is readily soluble in most organic compounds. — J. S. Ch. I, 15-10-1904, p. 949.5
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Footnotes:
1 Yarrow infusion: ¼ litre of boiling water is poured over 1 heaped teaspoon of herbs, infused for a short time.
2 Calendula infusion: 1 heaped teaspoon of herbs to ¼ litre of water.
3 Full bath: The appropriate herbs are steeped overnight in cold water. One bucketful (6 to 8 litres) of fresh herbs or 200 gm. of dried herbs is needed for a bath. This is heated and strained the next morning and poured into the bath water. Soak in it for 20 minutes. The heart must be above the water. After the bath do not dry off but wrap yourself in a bath towel or robe, go to bed and lie there for one hour perspiring.
4 This text is a chapter from “Health through God's Pharmacy” by Maria Treben (Ennsthaler Publishing, Steyr, 2003).
5 This text is a chapter from “Indian Medicinal Plants” by K. R. Kirtikar and B. D. Basu (Allahabad, 1918).
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