Scientific Name
Acorus calamus L.
Synonyms
Family
Acoraceae
Local Name
Buch
Habit Habitat
A perennial herb up to 1.5 m tall, found in marshy places of sub-tropical and temperate zones.
Taxonomic Features
Rootstock stout, creeping, with long fibrous roots at lower side. It has thick, pink- tinged, aromatic, branching rhizome. Stem erect, glabrous, grooved at one side and ribbed at opposite. Leaves linear, 50-100cm long, narrow, sword-shaped with undulating edges. Inflorescence a spadix, 5-6 cm long, cylindrical. Flower yellow green, spikes protruding at an angle from three sided stem. Tepals oblong-obovate, curved. Fruit a berry, fleshy, oblong, yellow green, angular, 1-3 seeded.
Flowering Fruiting
June-October.
Harvesting Time
August-December.
Medicinal Value
Useful in stomach and mouth disorders, asthma, common cold, whooping cough. Root is stimulant and hallucinogenic, treats indigestion and in China used for epilepsy, strokes and arthritis. Locally powder of roasted herb with honey is used for treatment of whooping cough, and common cold. Infusion of rhizome is effective in dysentery and diarrhea.
Parts Used
Leaf and rhizome
Future Prospective
Conservation, Cultivation, Oil Extraction, Aromatherapy, Cosmetic.
Plant Images
Acorus calamus L.