Calamus – ingredients, effect and application

Calamus is a marsh and aquatic plant whose rhizome has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. Essential oils from the plant are used particularly against digestive problems. Internal applications should only be carried out under medical supervision due to toxic effects.

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Acorus calamus
• Common names: German ginger, German Zitwer, Brustwurz, Gewürzkalmus, Magenwurz, Zehrwurz, Ackermannsroot, Schwerthen Wurzel, Magenwurz
• Family: Calamus family (Acoraceae), formerly: Arum family (Araceae)
• Distribution: Originally in Southeast Asia, today in large parts of Asia, North America, Europe and Egypt
• Plant parts used: Rhizome (rootstock)
• Ingredients: Essential asaronic oils, tannins and bitter substances, the above-ground parts contain ascorbic acid and proanthocyanidins, the rhizome contains choline, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, fructose, glucose, maltose
• Traditional areas of application (selection): gastrointestinal complaints, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, loss of appetite, depression, nervousness, high blood pressure, rheumatism, skin problems, increase in libido

Calamus – an overview

• Medical uses of calamus have been known from East Asia since ancient times.
• In the Arab world, calamus was used as an aphrodisiac, which was also said to increase mental performance and concentration.
• In Ayurveda, calamus is also considered to be beneficial for the ability to think and is also said to help against exhaustion.
• Calamus is used as a flavoring in liqueurs. The oil extracted from the rhizome is added to baths and skin care products and processed as a mouthwash. The rootstock itself is a means of repelling clothes moths.
• The medicinal plant is used in various applications, particularly for gastrointestinal complaints.
• In this country, calamus is not only popular as a medicinal plant, but also for planting in the shallow water zone of ponds.
• Calamus grows on the banks of bodies of water and in swamps. The plant loves full sun and then reaches a height of up to 150 centimeters.
• Calamus is robust in the garden. The tough leaves and essential oils keep pests away.

ingredients

Calamus contains essential oils that contain asarones, tannins and bitter substances, the above-ground parts contain ascorbic acid and proanthocyanidins, the following ingredients can be found in the rhizome, among others:

• Choline,
• arachidonic acid,
• linoleic acid,
• myristic acid,
• palmitic acid,
• stearic acid,
• Fructose, Glucose und Maltose.

Calamus Root – Medicinal Effects

A review (2018) mentions numerous scientific articles that confirm the medicinal properties of calamus. A study points out the large number of secondary metabolites that are responsible for a variety of medical effects, such as against diarrhea and indigestion.

An Indian work from 2014 describes calamus as a rejuvenating agent for the brain and nervous system and mentions, among other things, the following complaints for which calamus rhizomes are used in traditional Indian medicine: epilepsy, mental and psychological problems, chronic diarrhea, constipation, fever, kidney and liver diseases , as well as rheumatism.

According to the review, essential oils have a number of biological activities. They are said to have an effect against cramps and promote digestion.

A recent international study (2020) found convincing evidence of the effectiveness potential of proven ingredients. Accordingly, effects against various metabolic and neurological diseases are probably based on the diverse effects of the traditional Indian medicinal plant, such as antispasmodic, antidepressant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, cardioprotective and anti-obesity properties.

Calamus is used as an aromatic bitter remedy for loss of appetite and indigestion and is said to help with flatulence and constipation, for example.

Due to its many effective ingredients, calamus is a well-known and widely used medicinal plant, but at the same time it is also a poisonous plant. (Image: Volodymyr/stock.adobe.com/own editing heilpraxis.de)

Medical applications

Calamus oil is extracted from the rhizome and can be rubbed into the skin. This is a remedy for rheumatic complaints. The oil is also added to bath water for relaxation and added to skin-care cosmetics and mouthwashes.

Tinctures of calamus and alcohol are used for washing to prevent skin irritation. A cold extract with water is prepared with the chopped rootstock for around eight hours. This brew is then warmed and strained. Drinking a little of it – before and after meals – is used as a home remedy for gastrointestinal complaints, constipation, bloating and flatulence.

Bitter elixirs and stomach tonics containing calamus root extracts can also be found as ready-made preparations for stomach and digestive problems.

Calamus is also often found in tea blends, which are said to have effects against stomach, liver and gallbladder problems.

Calamus essential oil

Essential oil can be extracted from the rhizome, which is used to increase appetite and stimulate digestion. This can also be applied to the skin and is traditionally used against rashes and inflammatory skin diseases. Drizzled in water, the oil is gargled for inflammation in the mouth and throat.

Calamus for heartburn and to strengthen hair

The dried and powdered rhizome is a heartburn remedy. A pinch of the powder is taken three times a day.

Calamus is also considered a remedy for hair loss. To do this, two large spoons of the chopped rootstock are boiled in a quarter liter of water. The brew then steeps for several hours. Then strain the water and wash your hair around four times a week with this conditioner.

Baths with calamus roots

The rhizome can be used well in full or partial baths as well as for washing. For a full-body bath, soak around 200 grams of the dried rhizome in several liters of cold water for around eight hours. You then boil this mixture and then add it to the hot bath water.

Such baths are said to relieve rheumatic pain, reduce stress, have a relaxing effect on the skin and support the healing of skin diseases.

Risks and contraindications

Not all cultivated forms, but the wild form of calamus, contain asarones, which can have mutagenic and genotoxic effects. Effects of these isomers, which can also cause cancer in humans, are suspected. In the EU, alpha and beta asarones are classified as harmful to health – in the USA and Canada, calamus is not approved as a medicinal plant.

Because of this risk assessment, children, pregnant women and breastfeeding women should not use calamus preparations that contain asarone.

High doses of calamus can cause hallucinations. Overdoses can also cause tremors, vomiting, sweating and rapid heartbeat. The substance Asaron is also responsible for this.

Calamus containing asarone must therefore not be used in high doses. If used internally, medical advice should be sought beforehand.

Is calamus a poisonous plant?

Because of the potentially cancer-promoting effects of asarone, other undesirable effects of other essential oils and the slightly hallucinogenic effect at higher doses, calamus is also classified as a poisonous plant.

However, the oil of European calamus contains the problematic substances in a much lower concentration than, for example, the oil of Indian calamus. Although it is generally considered to be well tolerated, it should not be used on a long-term or regular basis.

History of medicine and folk medicine

Calamus was mentioned as a medicinal plant in ancient times, first in China and then in Persia seven centuries before Christ. In the European Middle Ages it was cultivated as a medicinal plant, especially in monastery and pharmacy gardens. The rhizome was a popular remedy in Europe for stomach ailments, digestive problems and lack of appetite.

Monks’ recipes are known to stimulate the appetite, for which the rhizome was boiled and made into a kind of tea with wormwood leaves, juniper berries and other ingredients.

In the early modern period, calamus was often found in mixtures of various medicinal herbs. In Persia and Arabia, calamus was reputed to stimulate the libido and was used as an aphrodisiac. A tea made from the rootstock was also brewed.

Calamus in the garden

In the garden, calamus likes a warm, wind-protected and sunny place. A spot on the bank of the water in the shallow water area corresponds to its natural habitat.

The plant likes it moist to wet, rich in nutrients and full of humus. Clay-clay is an ideal substrate. Under these location factors, it spreads rapidly and also displaces weaker plants in the riparian zone. Constant moisture is necessary – this swamp plant cannot survive longer dry phases.

It is advisable to place calamus plants in a plant basket in the pond, otherwise the plant will colonize the entire bank and shallow water area within a short time. Plant in spring and keep a distance of 50 centimeters between plants.

Proper care of calamus

Calamus is extremely easy to care for. You should cut back the fast-growing plant annually, but only in spring. It reacts sensitively to frost and cutting back in sub-zero temperatures can damage it.

You should avoid fertilizer. In…