Acorus calamus Linn
Genus: Acorus
Botanical name: Acorus calamus Linn.
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Sanskrit: Vacha, Ugragandha, Golomi, Jatila, Sataparvita
English: Sweet flag
Hindi: Baach, Vacha
Malayalam: Vayambu
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
The leaves of Sweet flag are between 0.7 and 1.7 cm wide, with average of 1 cm. The sympodial leaf of Acorus calamus is somewhat shorter than the vegetative leaves. The margin is curly-edged or undulate. The spadix, at the time of expansion, can reach a length between 4.9 and 8.9 cm (longer than A. americanus). The flowers are longer too, between 3 and 4 mm. Acorus calamus is infertile and shows an abortive ovary with a shriveled appearance. Flowering: March-May.
Sweet flag has a very long history of medicinal use in Chinese and Indian herbal traditions. It is widely employed in modern herbal medicine as itssedative, laxative, diuretic, and carminative properties. It is used in Ayurveda to counter the side effects of all hallucinogens. Sweet Flag is one of the most widely and frequently used herbal medicines amongst the Chipewyan people. Sweet Flag is one of the main component of the Jeevaraksha Gullika the pill that is used for the treatment of Snake bites.