SWEET FLAG Acorus calamus
Araceae
San: Vaca, Ugragandha, Bhadra; Hin: Bacc, Gorbacc; Ben: Bach; Mal:Vayampu;
Tam: Vasampu; Kan: Bajai; Tel: Vasa Vadaja
Importance
The sweet flag is an important medhya drug, capable of improving memory power and
intellect. It is used in vitiated conditions of vata and kapha, stomatopathy, hoarseness, colic,
flatulence, dyspepsia, helminthiasis, amenorrhoea, dismenorrhoea, nephropathy, calculi,
strangury, cough, bronchitis, odontalgia, pectoralgia, hepatodynia, otalgia, inflammations,
gout, epilepsy, delirium, amentia, convulsions, depression and other mental disorders,
tumours, dysentery, hyperdipsia, haemorrhoids, intermittent fevers, skin diseases, numbness
and general debility. It is reportedly useful in improving digestion, clearing speech and curing
diarrhoea, dysentery, abdominal obstruction and colic. It is also useful in infantile fever,
cough bronchitis and asthma. The drug is reported to cure hysteria, insanity and chronic
rheumatic complaints. The rhizome is an ingredient of preparations like Vacaditaila,
Ayaskrti, Kompancadi gulika, Valiya rasnadi kashaya, etc.
Distribution
The plant is a native of Europe. It is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics,
especially in India and Sri Lanka. It is found in marshes, wild or cultivated, ascending the
Himalayas upto 1800m in Sikkim. It is plentiful in marshy tracts of Kashmir and Sirmoor, in
Manipur and Naga Hills.
Botany
Acorus calamus Linn. belonging to the family Araceae is a semi-aquatic rhizomatous
perennial herb. Rhizome is creeping, much branched, cylindrical or slightly compressed, light
brown or pinkish brown externally, white and spongy within. Leaves are bright green,
distichous, ensiform, base equitant, thickened in the middle and with wavy margins. Flowers
are light brown and densely packed in sessile cylindric spadix. Fruits are oblong, turbinate
berries with a pyramidal top. Seeds are few and pendant from the apex of the cells (Warrier
et al, 1993).
Another species belonging to the genus Acorus is A. gramineus Soland, the roots of
which are used in tonic, antiseptics and insecticidal preparations (Chopra et al, 1956).
Agrotechnology
Acorus is a hardy plant found growing from tropical to subtropical climates. It needs a
good and well distributed rainfall throughout the year. It needs ample sunlight during the
growth period as well as after harvest for drying the rhizomes. It may be cultivated in any
good but fairly moist soil. It is usually grown in areas where paddy can be grown. It comes up
well in clayey soils and light alluvial soils of river bank. The field is laid out and prepared
exactly as for rice, irrigated sufficiently and after ploughing twice, watered heavily and again
ploughed in the puddle. Sprouted rhizome pieces are used for planting and pressed into the
mud at a depth of about 5cm at a spacing of 30x30cm. The rhizomes are planted in such a way
that the plants in the second row comes in between the plants of the first row and not opposite
to them. FYM is to be applied at 25t/ha. Fertilisers are applied at 25:50:60 kg
N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O/ha/yr. Whole of FYM and 1/3 of N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O are to be added in the field
during March - April as a basal dose. The remaining 2/3 of nutrients is to be given in two
equal split doses at 4 months and 8 months after planting. The field is to be regularly
irrigated. About 5 cm of standing water is to be maintained in the field in the beginning. Later,
it is to be increased to 10 cm as the plant grows. The field is to be regularly weeded. About 8
weedings are to be carried out in all. At each weeding the plants are pressed into the soil. The
plant is attacked by mealy bugs. Both shoot and root mealy bugs can be controlled by spraying
the shoot and drenching the roots of grown up plants with 10 ml Methyl parathion or 15ml
Oxydemeton methyl or 20ml Quinalphos in 10 litres of water. The crop is ready for harvest at
the end of first year. The field is to be dried partially so that sufficient moisture is left in the