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CALAMUS
Source:AcoruscalamusL.(FamilyAraceae).
Common/vernacular names:Calamus, sweet
cinnamon, sweet flag, sweet myrtle, sweet
root, sweet sedge.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Perennial herb growing in wet or swampy
areas with stiff, sword-shaped leaves; up to
about 2 m high; native to Northern Hemi-
sphere (North America, Europe, and Asia).
Part used is the stout aromatic rhizome after
it is peeled and dried. The essential oil is
obtained by steam distillation of both the fresh
and the dried unpeeled rhizome. Roots are
also used.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
The rhizome contains highly variable amounts
of volatile oil (up to 9%, but usually 2–6%),
depending on sources. Asian (Pakistani,
Japanese, Indian) plants yield more oil than
the European plants, but the European oil is
considered superior in flavor and fragrance
qualities (JIANGSU).1–4Constituents present in
the oil include b-asarone (cis-isoasarone),
()-methyl isoeugenol, asarone, asarylalde-
hyde, calamene, linalool, calamol, calameone,
eugenol, methyl eugenol, azulene, pinene,
cineole, camphor, and others, withb-asarone
being the major component (up to 76% of the
oil; 85% in Chinese oil) and the European
type containing larger numbers of aromatic
compounds (JIANGSU;MASADA).4,5The essen-
tial oil from the rhizome of the North Ameri-
can variety (A. calamusL. var.americanus
Calamus 127
