Calamus

Name:
Common Name: Calamus, calamus root, sweet flag, rat root, sweet sedge, flag rood, sweet calomel, sweet myrtle, sweet cane, sweet rush, beewort,
muskrat root, and pine root
Botanical Name: Acorus calumus L. Var. Americanus Wulff or A. calamus L. Var. Vulgaris L.
French Name: Acore vrai or Roseau aromatique
German Name: Kalmus

Parts Used:Rhizomes

Calamus is a perennial plant that grows in swamps. The essential oil contained in the plants grown in American differs from Europe and Asia. Ground the dried rhizomes to produce a pale, pink-tinged powder with a slightly bitter taste and spicy smell. Calamus from Asia often contains toxic beta-asarone that it cannot be used commercially.

Mainly Alpha-asarone and Beta-asarone (cisisomer)

It may be use for stomachache and nervousness.

Many active ingredients have been identified in the Calamus' oil, but the two compounds that have received the most attention:

1) Alpha-asarone is similar in structure to reserpine, a drug used as anti-hypertensive and sedative, and gives the same effects. The structure of alpha-asarone also resembles to chlorpromazine, a common use medicine for treatment of vomiting, but produces an opposite action that it causes vomiting. The main legitimate use for calamus is very much like that of chamomile of which use as a sedative effect and to treat stomach upset. Larger doses are said to be hallucinogenic. There is increasing interest in calamus as a "recreational" drug.

2) Beta-asarone is the component responsible for causing cancer in experimental animals. It is only present in calamus grown in Europe and Asia.

3) The structure of both of the alpha and beta asarone molecules bears some resemblance to the structure of "ecstasy", an amphetamine-like drug, which probable accounts for the herb's psychoactive properties. Asarones tend to decompose within months of collection, and lose their psychoactive properties.

Calamus preparations, taken in reasonable doses, appear to be quite safe. Large dose can by dangerous can cause intractable vomiting. If it use as a recreational drug by chewing whole roots in an attempt to get high, there is hard to know what the amounts are really taking. Skin rashes have been reported. Regarding to cancer precursor, it seems not the Calamus grown in the United States.

Calamus might cause a positive screening test for "ecstasy-like" drugs, but confirmatory testing would show that what was being detected was asarone, and not MDMA (3, 4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine). Unfortunately for calamus users, if they are tested as a condition for pre-employment, or under a non-federally mandated drug testing program, there is no requirement for the employer to do nay confirmatory testing.

The suggested dose is 1 to 3 gm. three times daily, taking in dry or as a tea. Liquid extracts (1:1 alcohol solution) 1-3 cc. 3 times a day.

Calamus, with small dose, may help calm and stomach disorders. Large doses can cause vomiting. Calamus also have amphetamine-like effects. The possibility exists that taking larger amounts of calamus may lead to a false positive urine drug test. There is no evidence that calamus is carcinogenic if it grown in the United States, but probably not those grown in Asia (A. Calamus L. Var. Vulgaris L.).

Calamus was first to be discovered by the Indian herbalists. The dried root has been used to treat memory impairment, melancholia, insomnia and epilepsy. In Europe, in the late 1800s, physicians used Calamus extract for stomach upset, but also use them as a sedative and painkiller. In North American, some Indians cultivated Calamus and used it as a hallucinogen. American manufacturers used Calamus as a flavoring in food and soft drinks for many years until it was discovered that one of the components of Calamus oil caused cancer. Later studies revealed that the component that causing cancer was not present in the variety of Calamus grown in the United States. Commercial use of Calamus as a food additive is still prohibited. The focus of interesting on this herb now is shift to the use as a recreational drug and hallucinogen.