Sweetflag (Acorus calamus) ذريره

Sweetflag

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  Acorus calamus (also called sweet flag or calamus, among many common names) is a tall perennial wetland monocot of the Acoraceae family, in the genus Acorus. The scented leaves and more strongly scented rhizomes have traditionally been used medicinally and to make fragrances, and the dried and powdered rhizome has been used as a substitute for ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  
  
  Uses 
  
  • Calamus is a greatly valued herb, as its stimulating aroma rejuvenates the brain and the nervous system. It is also effective against digestive disorders.
  • The root of the plant is internally used to treat bronchitis, sinusitis etc. It has the wonderful power of stimulating and normalizing the appetite. In small doses, it also serves to reduce stomach acidity. Larger doses increase stomach secretions.
  • The plant is externally used to treat skin eruptions, rheumatic pains and neuralgia.
  • It is also believed to remedy arthritis, cancer, convulsions, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, epilepsy etc.
  • Chewing the root of calamus helps fight tobacco addiction. It kills the taste for tobacco over time.
  • The root is also used to make a type of tea. Warm calamus tea works to soothe sore throat, when drunk warm or gargled with.
  • A homeopathic remedy is made from the roots of the plant, which is used to treat flatulence, dyspepsia, anorexia and disorders of the gall bladder.
  • It serves as a nauseant, stomachic, anthelmintic, stimulant, emetic, expectorant, carminative, antispasmodic and nervine sedative.
  • Due to its aroma, calamus is also used to make essential oil. The calamus essential oil is much valued in the perfume industry.
  • The herb was added to wine in Europe. The root of the plant is also one of the possible ingredients of absinthe.
  • The northern Native Americans use the herb for medical purposes as well as a stimulant. The root is believed to be used as entheogen among them. However, higher doses can be hallucinogenic.
  • Steaming the root of calamus throughout the home is believed by many to cure certain types of sickness.
  • Teton-Dakota warriors used to chew the roots of this herb to make a paste, which they rubbed on their faces. They believed it would prevent excitement and fear, while facing an enemy.
  A. calamus has been an item of trade in many cultures for thousands of years. It has been used medicinally for a wide variety of ailments, and its aroma makes calamus essential oil valued in the perfume industry. The essence from the rhizome is used as a flavor for pipe tobacco. When eaten in crystallized form, it is called "German ginger". In Europe Acorus calamus was often added to wine, and the root is also one of the possible ingredients of absinthe. It is also used in bitters.In Lithuania Ajeras (Sweet flag) is added to home baked black bread.
  
  Cultural uses
  
  In Britain the plant was cut for use as a sweet smelling floor covering for the packed earth floors of dwellings and churches, and stacks of rushes have been used as the centrepiece of rushbearing ceremonies for many hundreds of years. It has also been used as a thatching material for English cottages.
  
  In modern Egypt it is thought to have aphrodisiac properties.
  
  For the Penobscot people this was a very important root. One story goes that a sickness was plaguing the people. A muskrat spirit came to a man in a dream, telling him that he (the muskrat) was a root and where to find him. The man awoke, found the root, and made a medicine which cured the people. In Penobscot homes, pieces of the dried root were strung together and hung up for preservation. Steaming it throughout the home was thought to "kill" sickness. While they were travelling, a piece of root was kept and chewed to ward off illness.
  
  Teton-Dakota warriors chewed the root to a paste, which they rubbed on their faces. It was thought to prevent excitement and fear when facing an enemy.
  
  The Potawatomi people powdered the dried root and placed this up the nose to cure catarrh.
  
  Herbal medicinal Uses
  
  Sweet flag has a very long history of medicinal use in Chinese and Indian herbal traditions. The leaves, stems, and roots are used in various Siddha and Ayurvedic medicines. It is widely employed in modern herbal medicine for its sedative, laxative, diuretic, and carminative properties. It is used in Ayurveda to counter the side effects of all hallucinogens. Sweet Flag, known as "Rat Root" is one of the most widely and frequently used herbal medicines amongst the Chipewyan people.
  
  Hallucinogenic properties   
  
  Chewing the rootstock of the plant can cause visual hallucinations, possibly because of the presence of alpha-asarone or beta-asarone.
  
  Horticulture Use
  
  This plant is sometimes used as a pond plant in horticulture. There is at least one ornamental cultivar known; it is usually called 'Variegatus', but the RHS recommends calling it 'Argenteostriatus'.
  
  Modern research
  
  Acorus calamus shows neuroprotective effect against stroke and chemically induced neurodegeneration in rats. Specifically, it has protective effect against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity.
  
  Both roots and leaves of A. calamus have shown antioxidant, antimicrobial and insecticidal activities.
  
  Acorus calamus may prove to be an effective control measure against cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.
  
  A recent study showed that beta-asarone isolated from Acorus calamus oil inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells and thus reduces lipid accumulation in fat cells.
  
  
  Both triploid and tetraploid A. calamus contain alpha-asarone. Other phytochemicals include:
  
  Beta-asarone
  eugenol
  Diploids do not contain beta-asarone (β-asarone).
  
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Caution

Large doses of the distilled essential oil made from calamus can cause mild hallucinations.