acorus calamus

Acorus calamus (commonly known as Vacha or Sweet Flag) is a perennial wetland plant whose rhizome has been used for centuries in traditional medicine systems such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The dried or fresh roots are used medicinally for a wide range of ailments including neurological disorders (such as epilepsy and mental illness), gastrointestinal complaints (such as flatulence and dyspepsia), respiratory issues (bronchitis), metabolic conditions (diabetes), kidney and liver disorders. Its pharmacological activities include anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory effects among others. The main active constituents are phenylpropanoids (notably β-asarone), sesquiterpenoids and monoterpenes. Despite its traditional use for various indications—especially digestive complaints—clinical studies in humans are lacking due to concerns about toxicity; some extracts have shown mutagenic and reproductive toxicity in animal studies. Use of Acorus calamus is prohibited in the United States due to safety concerns[1][2][3][4][5][8].

Other names

vachasweet flagcalamusrat rootshi chang puvasambusweet myrtlesweet sedgekalmusmyrtle grasssweet canesweet rootsweet rush