ACORUS CALAMUS [BACH] EXT. Common Name : Bach / Calamus Root / Sweet Flag Plant Parts Used : Dried Rhizome. Description : A semi-aquatic, perennial, aromatic herb with creeping rhizomes, growing wild and also cultivated throughout India at an altitude of 2,200 m in the Himalayas. Rhizome horizontal,jointed, somewhat vertically compressed, spongy within, 1.25-2.5 cm in thickness, pale to dark brown or ocassionally orange-brown in colour, leaves grass-like or sword shaped, long and slender flowers small, yellow-green, in spadix; berries green, angular,1-3 seeded; seeds oblong. Characteristics and Constituents : Active principles are isolated from volatile oil by fractionation. Gas chromatography revealed the presence of two components isolated in pure state i.e. (- asarone) and (- asarone), which were trans - and cis-isomers, respectively of 2,4,5-trimethoxy-1-propenyl benzene (Dandiya , 1970). Ask For Prices Actions and Uses: The essential oil and the crude alcoholic and aqueous extractsobtained from the roots showed depressant action in dogs. The smooth muscle activity of asarone and essential oil was found similar to that of papaverine. The activity of asarone was greater than that of the essential oil (Bose et al., 1960) It was found that the sedative effect of asarone was dependant on the depression of the ergotropic division of the hypothalamus(Menon and Dandiya, 1967). Acorus oil in 50 mg. and 100 mg./kg.Dose antagonised the dextroamphetamine induced agitational symtoms. At the same dose, it inhibited the conditioned avoidance response in rats. (Bhattacharya, 1968). Roots and rhizomes are stimulant, emetic, nauseant, stomachic,aromatic, expectorant, carminative, antispasmodic and nervine sedative. In large doses of 30 to 40 grains, produces a violent and persistent emesis. In the form of infusion, acts as a tonic,stomachic, carminative and also as antiperiodic. The rhizome shows expectorant action due to the presence of essential oil. The rhizome may have poisonous effect under certain conditions causing disturbed digestion and in severe cases,gastro-enteritis.(Chopra et al, II, 901).