Calamus

CALAMUS, Acorus calamus, family Acoraceae, a perennial herbaceous plant with creeping rhizomes, from which grow in tufts shiny, bright green, stiff linear-lanceolate leaves and a stem (scape). Calamus blooms in June and July with small greenish-yellow flowers. The fruit is a dry berry, ripening in September. Calamus grows in Europe, Asia, and North America along riverbanks, ponds, lakes, and in marshes. For medicinal purposes, the rhizome of Calamus, called calamus root, and the essential oil extracted from it are used. The rhizome of Calamus (Fig. VII) - Rhizoma Calami - is taken internally in powders, tinctures, extracts, pap, and candies as a tonic, appetite stimulant, and to improve the function of the gastrointestinal tract, and externally - for aromatic baths and washes, and in tooth powders or in the form of a decoction and aqueous tincture - for mouth rinses. The rhizome of Calamus and its essential oil are widely used in the production of liqueurs and bitter liqueurs.