|
Botanical Name |
Acorus calamus Linn. |
|
Family |
Araceae |
|
Sanskrit Name(s) |
Vacha
Ugragandha
Shadgrantha
Golomee
Mangalyal
Shataparvika |
|
English Name(s) |
Sweet flag |
|
Local Name(s) |
Bach
Ghodbach (Hindi)
Boch (Bengali) |
|
 |
|
| |
| Habitat |
| Semi-aquatic, perennial cultivated on the edges
of lakes and streams, throughout India upto 2000m
in the Himalayas. |
|
| |
| Phytography |
| Perrenial, erect, aromatic herb; rhizomes horizontal,
cylindrical, slightly vertically compressed, internally
spong white, externally light brown; leaves distichous
(grass-like), 1.5 to 2m in length, base equitant;
spadix sessile, cylindric, densely flowered, spathe
15 to 70 cm in length; flower small, yellow green,
in a spadix; berries green, angular; 1-3 seeded,
seeds oblong(fruiting very rare) |
|
| |
| Phenology |
| Planting season |
March-April |
| Flowering & Fruiting
|
July - August |
|
| |
| Parts Used |
|
|
| |
| Ayurvedic Properties |
| Rasa |
Katu, Tikta |
| Guna |
Laghu, Teekshna, Sara |
| Vipaka |
Katu |
| Veerya |
Ushna |
|
| |
| Actions & Uses |
| Rhizomes are stimulants, emetic, nauseant, stomachic,
aromatic, expectorent, carminative, antispasmodic,
nervine sedative. Used in epilepsy, indigestion,
asthma, bronchitis, cold and cough, fever, arthritis,
abdominal pain, hysteria, loss of memory. |
|
| |
| Chemical Constituents |
| A neutral, yellow volatile aromatic oil, calamus
oil containing asarone, beta-asarone, asaryl aldehyde,
calamene, calamenenol, calameone, eugenol, etc.
a bitter aromatic glucoside acorin, a resin-like
bitter principle acoretin (choline), a crystalline
alkaloid calamine, starch, mucilage, tannin, etc.
are the main chemical constituents reported from
this plant. Rhizomes yield 1.5 to 3.5 % of oil.
|
|