138/CALAMINT PDR FOR HERBAL MEDICINES
Calamint
Calamintha nepeta
DESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the dried foliage,
stems, leaves and flowers.
Flower and Fruit: The medium-sized to large flowers are 5
to 20 blossomed cymes. The pedicle is 0 to 22 mm long and
the tubular calyx is 3 to 7 mm by l to 1.5 mm in size and
slightly downy to very downy on the inside. The upper tips
are 0.5 to 1.5 mm and the lower ones are l to 2 mm, downy.
They occasionally have long, ciliate hairs. The corolla is
white to lilac and purple.
Leaves, Stem and Root: Calamint is a perennial, 30 to 80 cm
high, slightly to densely downy shrub. The leaves are oval,
obtuse, almost entire-margined or lightly to deeply crenate-
serrate, with 9 teeth on each side.
Habitat: Britain, Europe, northern Africa
Production: Calamint is the above-ground part of Calamin-
tha nepeta. It is collected in the wild.
Other Names: Basil Thyme, Mountain Mint, Mountain
Balm, Mill Mountain
ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS
Volatile oil (0.35%: including pulegone, menthone, menthol
and its ester, P-bisobolen, cineol, thymol
Triterpenes: including calaminthadiol, ursolic acid
EFFECTS
The drug is a diaphoretic and expectorant.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Unproven Uses: Calamint has been used for febrile colds and
respiratory diseases. The drug is also used in folk medicine
for hiccups, tinnitus, as a diuretic and for stomach
complaints.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction
with the proper administration of designated therapeutic
dosages.
DOSAGE
No information is available.
LITERATURE
de Pooter HL, Goetghebeur P. Schamp P, PH 26(12):3355-
- Hansel R, Keller K, Rimpler H, Schneider G (Hrsg.), Hagers
Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 5. Aufl., Bde 4-6
(Drogen), Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1992-
Kokkalo E, Stefanaou E, Flavour Fragrance J 5(l):23-26. 1990.
Calamintha nepeta
See Calamint
Calamus
Acorus calamus
DESCRIPTION
Medicinal Parts: The medicinal part is the rhizome after the
removal of all other material.
Flower and Fruit: Green flowers, like small dice, form a
tightly packed, slim, conical spadix. The plant is non-fruit-
bearing and propagates from the rhizome.
Leaves, Stem and Root: The plant grows from 60 to 100 cm
tall. The stem is triangular and sprouts from a horizontal,
round root-stock, which has the thickness of a thumb. The
upper shoot forms a grooved flower sheath. The leaves are
oblong, sword-shaped and arranged in two rows. The leaves
have no stems.
Characteristics: The rhizome has an intensely aromatic
fragrance and a tangy, pungent and bitter taste. The leaves
often undulate on the margins.
Habitat: Today Calamus is found all over the world. It
probably originated in India and North America.
Production: Calamus root-stock is the dried, coarsely ground
and mostly peeled, root-stock of Acorus calamus. Calamus
oil is extracted from the same plant.
Other Names: Sweet Flag, Sweet Sedge, Grass Myrtle,
Myrtle Flag, Sweet Grass, Sweet Myrtle, Sweet Rush, Sweet
Root, Sweet Cane, Gladdon, Myrtle Sedge, Cinnamon Sedge
ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY
COMPOUNDS
Volatile oil: chief constituents are heavily dependent upon
the chemical strain (divtri-, tetraploid); beta-asarone (cis-
isoasarone), alpha- and gamma-asarone, beta- gurjuns, aco-
rone (bitter), ZZ-Deca-4,7-dienal (odor-determining)
EFFECTS
Calamus is an aromatic, bitter stomachic, which stimulates
appetite and digestion. It has spasmolytic, carminative and
sedative effects, in addition to being externally hyperemic.
