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CULTURAL AND WILD PLANTS
Calamus ordinary (calamus marsh, calamus root). Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application
Directory / Cultivated and wild plants Content
Calamus ordinary (calamus marsh, calamus root), Acorus calamus. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism Sort by: Calamus (Typha) Family: Thyrox (Typhaceae) Origin: Calamus vulgaris is distributed throughout the world, it is a perennial plant that grows in swamps and on the banks of reservoirs. Area: Calamus vulgaris grows almost all over the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. It is a moisture-loving plant that can be found in swamps, lakes, ponds, rivers and reservoirs. Chemical composition: Calamus contains many beneficial substances, including starch, sugar, proteins, fatty oils, vitamins (A, C, E) and minerals (potassium, iron, magnesium, copper). Calamus roots also contain an essential oil that has antimicrobial properties. Economic value: Calamus is used in medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including colds, flu, and stomach and intestinal problems. In addition, calamus is used as livestock feed, as well as a material for the manufacture of paper, textiles and other products. In Chinese cuisine, calamus root is also used as an ingredient in various dishes. Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Greece and Rome, calamus was used to improve memory, concentration and enhance consciousness. In India, this plant was often used for religious purposes, considering it a symbol of divine knowledge and enlightenment. Among the Slavs, calamus was considered a plant that attracts the souls of the dead, and it was often used in commemoration and funeral ceremonies. In Celtic mythology, calamus was associated with the goddess of the earth and was used for purification and protection from evil spirits. The symbolic meaning of calamus is associated with its root, which has a special shape and smell. Calamus symbolizes the earth, homeland and culture, and its root is a symbol of stability, strength and endurance. Also, calamus is associated with protection and amulets, since its aroma repels evil spirits and prevents damage. In Chinese medicine, calamus is used to treat various ailments, including headaches, neurosis, and insomnia. In Europe, calamus is used in folk medicine as an antiseptic and analgesic, as well as an aromatic and tonic.
Calamus ordinary (calamus marsh, calamus root). Acorus calamus. Description, illustrations of the plant Air ordinary. Description of the plant, area, cultivation, application
Calamus grows in shallow places, along the banks of quiet backwaters, slowly flowing rivers, lakes, ditches, in abandoned coastal, marshy meadows. Perennial herbaceous plant 120-150 cm high with thick, fleshy, creeping rhizome up to 50-60 cm long. Outside, the rhizome is brown, inside is white, soft, fragrant, burning, spicy taste. Its surface is covered with wide transverse scars - traces of leaves dying annually. In the water, in places where the rhizome branches, bunches of leaves and a flower-bearing stem grow annually. The rhizome is attached to the ground with small cord-like roots. The leaves are basal, 60-120 cm long, 2,5-3 cm wide, alternate xiphoid, glabrous, bright green, with expanded bases covering neighboring leaves, emit a peculiar smell, aggravated by touch. Stem erect, triangular. At its top, a dense inflorescence (cob) grows 8-12 cm long. Blooms from late May to July. Flowers numerous, sessile, bisexual, inconspicuous, yellow-green. Fruits - dryish berries - do not ripen in our climate. The plant reproduces vegetatively, part of the rhizomes. Fresh calamus rhizomes contain essential (irne) oil, alkaloids, organic acids, bitter glycosides, ascorbic acid (up to 150 mg%), a lot of starch, gums, tannins, phytoncides. Calamus essential oil is widely used for economic purposes. In the perfume industry, it is added to toilet soaps, toothpastes, lipsticks, creams. Rivets for tubs and barrels are made from rhizomes. In the Caucasus, they are used for tanning leather. Calamus serves as food for some forest animals. In nutrition, rhizomes and leaves of calamus are used. Powder and fragrant oil from rhizomes are used to give a special aroma and taste to gingerbread, cookies, gingerbread and other confectionery instead of cinnamon, ginger, bay leaf, nutmeg. Essential oils are used to flavor liqueurs, wines and beers. Calamus rhizomes are added to compotes, jam, marmalade, essences, syrups. Starch can be obtained from them, but this is not economically viable. When preserving and preparing fish dishes, calamus powder improves the aroma and gives them a special, slightly bitter aftertaste. Powder from rhizomes of calamus. Thoroughly wash the rhizomes from silt, cut into pieces, dry, grind in a coffee grinder or in a mortar and sift. Use as a spice for first, second courses, sauces, sauces, drinks, bakery products. Calamus leaf powder. Dry thoroughly washed calamus leaves, grind into powder. Decoction of rhizomes of calamus. Pour dried crushed rhizomes of calamus with cold water and boil for 10-15 minutes, then leave for 2-3 hours (preferably in a thermos) and strain. Use for flavoring first courses, drinks, salads. 20 g dried calamus rhizomes, 1 liter of water. Sugar syrup with calamus. Dried crushed calamus rhizomes pour boiling water, leave for 20-24 hours, strain, add citric acid. Dissolve sugar in hot water, mix with infusion, pour into glassware. Store in a cool place. Use for flavoring confectionery, sweet dishes. Shelf life up to 1 year. 20 g of dried calamus rhizomes, 1 liter of water, 500 g of sugar, 2 g of citric acid. Compote with calamus. Boil fresh fruits (apples, pears, etc.) until cooked, add sugar and chopped calamus rhizomes, bring to a boil, insist in a sealed container for 30 minutes (rhizomes can be omitted in a bag, which should be removed before use). Drink to quench thirst, improve appetite. 400 g of fresh fruit or 100 g of dried, 100-150 g of fresh calamus rhizomes or 50 g of dried, 1 liter of water, sugar or honey to taste. Kvass with calamus. Add decoction of calamus to bread kvass. 3 liters of bread kvass, 250 ml of calamus decoction. Candied calamus rhizomes. Rinse fresh calamus rhizomes thoroughly, peel, cut into pieces 3-4 cm long, each piece lengthwise into 4 parts and air dry. Prepare 80% sugar syrup, dip the rhizomes into it and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Then take the calamus out of the syrup, spread it on gauze or plywood board and dry it in the air. Serve with tea. Store in a glass container in a cool place. 1 kg of calamus rhizomes, 200 ml of water, 800 g of sugar. Jam with calamus. Boil crushed calamus roots in 75% sugar syrup for 5-10 minutes, then add fruits (plums, apples, plums, quince, etc.) and cook until tender. 100 g of dried calamus rhizomes, 600-800 g of fruit, 250 ml of water, 750 g of sugar. Jam with calamus leaves. Parts of the leaves extending from the rhizomes, cut into pieces 3-4 cm, dip in 75% sugar syrup and cook over low heat until tender. 1 kg of calamus leaves, 250 ml of water, 750 g of sugar. In folk medicine, calamus powders, infusions, decoctions are used as an analgesic, antiseptic, expectorant, diuretic, choleretic, antiemetic, which improves the functions of the stomach, intestines, kidneys, bladder, and liver. Infusion of calamus rhizomes. Infuse 10-15 g of powder from calamus rhizomes in 200 ml of chilled boiled water for 6 hours and strain. Drink 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day for gastritis with high acidity of gastric juice, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, urolithiasis, inflammation of the bladder, inflammatory diseases of the liver, gallbladder. An infusion of calamus rhizomes can be used to rinse the mouth and throat in case of inflammatory processes, tonsillitis, to wash festering, long-term healing wounds, ulcers, bedsores, frostbite, to make compresses for bone fractures after removing the plaster, to use for sitz baths for inflammation of the bladder, women's diseases, wash your hair to strengthen your hair. A decoction of calamus rhizomes. 6 g of calamus rhizomes pour 200 ml of cold water and boil over low heat in a sealed container for 30 minutes. Strain, add boiled water to the original volume. Take 2 tablespoons 3 times a day after meals as an antiseptic, expectorant for abscess and pneumonia. Calamus rhizome powder should be taken orally at a dose of 0,2-0,3 g (no more) for heartburn, used to heal festering wounds, ulcers, chew the rhizome for inflammation of the oral mucosa, to strengthen the gums. Powder from the rhizomes is part of the Vikalin and Vikair medicines used to treat gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, calamus rhizome is an integral part of appetizing and gastric preparations. Contraindications have not been established. Calamus rhizomes are harvested in the fall, pulling them ashore with pitchforks, rakes with curved teeth, and digging them up off the coast with shovels. The rhizomes are thoroughly washed with cold water, the roots are cut off, the remnants of the leaf sheaths are removed, cut into pieces 8-10 cm long, the thick ones are cut lengthwise into 4-6 parts. The raw materials are dried in the air for several days, then dried in attics with an iron roof, in well-ventilated rooms, in dryers at a temperature of no more than 30 ° C (at a higher temperature, the essential oil evaporates). Properly dried pieces break with a crack, do not bend, brownish-pink or white at the break, yellow-brown on the outside, have a fragrant pleasant smell, spicy-bitter taste. Dried rhizomes are stored in a dry, well-ventilated, cool room in tightly closed jars, barrels, boxes lined with paper inside. Shelf life 3 years. In order to preserve the natural thickets of calamus during harvesting, it is impossible to dig out all the plants in a row, it is necessary to leave a part for growth in a natural way. Pieces of rhizomes that are separated during digging must be buried in the ground or silt. They will give rise to new thickets. Authors: Alekseychik N.I., Vasanko V.A.
Calamus calamus, Acorus calamus. reference Information
A perennial herbaceous plant of the aroid family, 60-70 cm high with a thick, creeping brown rhizome up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 50 cm long. The rhizome is white inside, has scars - traces of fallen leaves and numerous roots. Basal leaves are linear-xiphoid, long (up to 1 m), sharp. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, consist of 6 obovate membranous petals, collected in a dense, cylindrical inflorescence-cob, deviating from the stem. The fruit is an oblong multi-seeded dry red berry. Mass flowering of calamus - in May-June. Calamus is native to the Himalayas. It was known to ancient Indian healers, and was brought to Europe by Arab and Phoenician merchants. Then calamus was discovered during campaigns by the soldiers of Alexander the Great. In Central Europe, for the first time, a dried copy of it was seen only in the XNUMXth century, when the Italian doctor Mattioli managed to purchase this plant from the German ambassador at the Tsar's city court. Soon the Viennese botanist Clausius managed to grow the calamus rhizome. He propagated the plant, sending it to many botanical gardens. Nowadays, calamus grows wild throughout Europe, including the British Isles, in the Atlantic part of North America, in Asia, in Europe (except for the northern regions), in Kazakhstan, Siberia, and the Far East. It grows along the banks of rivers and lakes, in quiet and stagnant backwaters, in marshy meadows and in damp ditches, sometimes forming continuous thickets. Calamus rhizome contains essential oil, bitter glycoside acorin, some tannins, calamine alkaloid. The leaves also contain essential oil and tannins. For the preparation of spices, it is better to use the rhizomes of plants of two to three years of age. Spicy flavoring and medicinal properties of calamus rhizomes have been known for a long time and are described in the works of Greek and Roman naturalists. Currently, dried rhizomes of calamus and its essential oil are used as aromatic additives in drinks, in compotes from fresh and dried apples, pears, rhubarb, boiled in sugar syrup, candied for confectionery, used as substitutes for ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg for flavoring puddings, biscuits, creams. In small quantities, use instead of bay leaf. Calamus is also used in the alcoholic beverage and fish industries. Calamus rhizome is used as a bitter-spicy gastric remedy that increases appetite and improves digestion, enhancing the reflex separation of gastric juice. Thus, calamus rhizome powder is part of the Vikalin preparation, which is successfully used in medicine for the treatment of peptic ulcer, and is also used in veterinary medicine as a gastric remedy. In folk medicine, they mainly use tincture of rhizomes on vodka, but water decoctions are also made. They drink them for gastric diseases, especially for stomach ulcers, diseases of the liver, bladder. Cultivation. Calamus is very unpretentious to the conditions of growth or cultivation. It grows well not only in low-lying wetlands and damp places, but also on light sandy loamy soils with uniform periodic moisture. It reproduces vegetatively - by segments of rhizomes 10-20 cm long. To plant calamus, the soil after the predecessor is cultivated, then dug to a depth of 20-30 cm, mineral fertilizers are applied; superphosphate 20 30 g, ammonium sulfate -15-20 g and potassium salt 10-15 g per 1 m2. In September-October, holes are made in the soil with a depth of 10-15 cm and segments of rhizomes are placed in them at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, sprinkled with earth and, if necessary, moistened. Row spacing - 50 cm. During the spring planting of calamus (in April-May), the cuttings are harvested immediately before it or several days in advance. Store them in wet sand in the cellar or in the basement. The soil is carefully cultivated. The regrowth of calamus of the second and subsequent years of cultivation begins in the third decade of March - the first half of April, bridge flowering - in June-July. Dig up rhizomes from September to late autumn. With a high water level in lakes, swamps and rivers, calamus is not always available for digging. In the dry period, the rhizomes are dug up with a shovel, and when removed from the water, they use an iron pitchfork or rake. The rhizomes are washed, then slightly dried, thin roots and leaves are cut off. Cut the rhizomes into pieces 15-30 cm long. Dry them in warm, well-ventilated rooms or in attics, spreading them out in a thin layer. Then they are dried on stoves or heating batteries. Dried calamus rhizomes are packed in bags or boxes and stored in a dry place. Authors: Yurchenko L.A., Vasilkevich S.I.
Calamus ordinary, Acorus calamus L. Botanical description, distribution, chemical composition, features of use
Aroid family - Araceae. A perennial plant with a creeping, tortuous rhizome, seated below with numerous cord-like roots, inside is white with a pink tinge. The leaves are narrowly linear, xiphoid, 2-5 wide, 60-120 cm long, grooved on one side, with a sharp rib on the opposite side. The trihedral stem ends with an ear 4-12 cm long. The flowers are small, greenish-yellowish, bisexual. The fruit is a multi-seeded red berry. Blooms in May - July. It grows along the banks of rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, oxbow lakes, in swampy areas, silty soils, sometimes forming continuous thickets. The supposed homeland of this species is India and China, but already in antiquity, with the help of man, the plant spread throughout Asia. The modern range of the species is clearly divided into four zones: Asian - India and Southeast Asia; Siberian - Ussuri region, south of Siberia and the Far East; European - Europe and the European part of Russia; American - Brazil, USA and southern Canada. The annual harvesting of rhizomes can be 50-60 tons. It is advisable to organize a network of assigned lands and reserves. Tannins are found in all parts of the plant. The rhizome contains up to 5% essential oil, calamine alkaloid, tannins, resins, gum, starch, up to 0,15% ascorbic acid, bitter glycoside acorin, choline, disterols and mucus. The main components of the essential oil are D-alpha-pinene, D-camphor, borneol, D-camphene, calamen, sesquiterpene alcohol, etc. The odor carrier is azarinaldehyde. Essential oil is a thick yellow liquid with a pleasant smell and a spicy-bitter taste. The taste of the rhizome is bitter-burning, tart, spicy, the smell is strong, pleasantly spicy. As a spicy plant, it was known to the ancient Persians and Jews, and as a medicinal plant - to ancient Greek and Roman doctors. As a spice, dried calamus rhizomes can be used in place of bay leaves, ginger, and cinnamon. A tea is prepared from it, which stimulates the appetite, reduces heartburn and improves the activity of the gallbladder. Calamus is used in small quantities in the preparation of various soups, clear broths, white fish broths, dark sauces, cabbage, especially red cabbage, fatty fried meat, fried potatoes and vegetables, in canning fish (it contributes to its compaction and gives a pleasant aroma and bitter aftertaste). Many appreciate calamus in the preparation of sweet dishes, fruit soups and fruit salads, flavoring confectionery, bread. In Turkey, candied calamus rhizomes are an expensive delicacy. Rhizomes and essential oil of calamus are used in the production of various drinks. Calamus finds the widest use in the pharmaceutical industry. The rhizome, due to the content of acorin, enhances the reflex separation of gastric juice; especially recommend it at the lowered secretion.
Rhizome and essential oil are part of a number of drugs ("Vikalin", "Vikair", "Alimetin", gastric collection, bitter tincture, etc.), which improve digestion, increase appetite, are indicated for exacerbation of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, hyperacid gastritis, as well as diseases of the liver, gallbladder, spleen and kidneys. In Bulgaria, essential oil is used for hysteria and stomach cramps. In folk medicine of various countries, the rhizome was used for nervous diseases accompanied by convulsions, to increase appetite, as an analgesic, expectorant, disinfectant, wound healing agent, for heartburn, anemia, gout, allergies, rickets, malaria, as well as to strengthen hair, with periodontal disease and to eliminate bad breath. In the past, calamus rhizome and soft juicy green parts of the plant were chewed for prophylactic purposes during epidemics of cholera, typhus, influenza, as well as to strengthen the gums and protect teeth from destruction, leprosy was treated with a fatty extract. Prolonged chewing of the rhizome enhances the gag reflex, which was used by people who wanted to get rid of the habit of smoking. In oriental medicine, calamus is used as a tonic for impotence, as well as to improve memory, hearing and vision. Essential oil and roots are used in the production of dental elixirs, powders and pastes. The plant has insecticidal properties, which allows it to be used for decorating artificial reservoirs. It is believed that calamus, due to the release of phytoncides, helps to purify water bodies. Authors: Dudchenko L.G., Kozyakov A.S., Krivenko V.V.
Air ordinary. Interesting plant facts
Calamus vulgaris came to us from China and India. Cultivated in Western Europe, India, Burma, Iran, South America. It was first brought to Europe in the XNUMXth century. from Constantinople to Prague and Vienna, and then spread throughout Europe, Siberia, and the Far East. In Ukraine, calamus does not bloom and does not bear fruit, but reproduces only vegetatively, since there are no male specimens of plants here. Calamus rhizomes contain a lot of starch, gum, bitter glucoside acorin, fragrant calamus oil, tannins, aromatic resins, kalamdine alkaloid. The most valued essential oil contained in the rhizomes. It is a thick yellow liquid with a pleasant smell and a spicy-bitter taste. Used to prepare various essences, added to fruit syrups, canned compotes, confectionery. In the distillery industry, pieces of rhizomes are infused with alcohol to produce Swiss Absinthe vodka, Chartreuse and Benedictine liqueurs. The famous Danzig vodka is an aged infusion of calamus rhizomes. Pieces of rhizomes candied and used as a substitute for scarce ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Calamus rhizomes are harvested in late autumn after the first frosts. They are cleaned of dirt, washed in cold water, cut with a knife into thin strips 15-20 cm long and air-dried. Dry on sieves, gits, linen, nets. It is impossible to dry in an oven or oven, as valuable essential oil evaporates at a temperature of 20-35 ° C. Finished products are stored in tightly closed containers. Calamus has been known as a medicinal plant since ancient India and Burma. Infusions, decoctions and extracts of rhizomes are still used in the treatment of rheumatism, malaria, as a sedative for hysteria, gastric diseases, abscesses and tumors, coughs, as an anthelmintic. In Turkey, dried calamus roots are chewed to eliminate bad breath. In Ukraine, hair is washed with a decoction of rhizomes to grow faster, to strengthen and give them silkiness and a pleasant shine. Dried pieces of rhizomes are candied and served (Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Iran, Afghanistan) as a delicacy for soft drinks. An infusion of calamus rhizomes is an indispensable component of the famous oriental sherbet. Calamus rhizomes have a bitter, spicy, warming taste, very fragrant. The Turks have long used calamus rhizomes to improve bad or dirty water for drinking, they believed that chewing calamus rhizomes removes the danger of poisoned air. In some countries, calamus rhizomes are put in meat dishes instead of hot pepper or ginger. Rhizomes are also added to vinegar with tarragon; during fermentation, they flavor kissels, mousses, fruit soups, compotes with them during fermentation. A stick of dry rhizome should be placed in a hot dish a few minutes before serving, and then removed just before eating. Harvest rhizomes in late autumn or early spring. They are cleaned of small roots, leaf residues, cut into pieces up to 5 cm long and dried in a warm room that is well ventilated. Dried in a slightly heated oven or oven. 100 g of freshly harvested calamus rhizomes are crushed and ground in a mortar until a homogeneous mass is obtained, a tablespoon of sunflower oil, starch is added to it and everything is mixed well. The resulting mass is used for nourishing and healing masks that smooth wrinkles, tone and soften the skin on the face, remove redness, rashes, heal small cracks, eliminate and treat sclerotic vasodilation. Calamus rhizomes contain an essential oil, which includes pinene, alpha-camphene, alpha-camphor, borneol, calamen, sesquiterpene alcohol, cumaldehyde and paraffin carbon, tannins. Essential oil is widely used in official medicine and perfumery, as it has a pleasant smell, has high healing and tonic properties. The mask is applied in a thin layer, heated to a temperature not exceeding 35-36 ° C, since at higher temperatures the essential oil quickly evaporates and the composition loses its properties. Prepare an ointment for the mask every time fresh. The mask is kept for 25-30 minutes, washed off with tepid water. After the mask, the cream is not consumed. It has been used since ancient times in a mixture with other plants as a remedy for hair loss. Two tablespoons of burdock roots are taken for two tablespoons of crushed calamus rhizomes and boiled for 20 minutes in one and a half liters of water. The broth is allowed to cool and kept for 6-8 hours, filtered and washed. Often, a 50% alcohol extract of butterbur herb, nettle, arnica flowers, calendula, chamomile, birch leaves, and horsetail is added to the infusion of calamus rhizomes and burdock roots. This complex drug is suitable for any hair, perfectly strengthens them, prevents hair loss, softens both hair and skin. Calamus broth is washed every three days for a month. Essential oils contained in calamus rhizomes and burdock roots are easily and firmly absorbed into the skin, strengthen hair roots, and stimulate skin nutrition. Hair acquires shine and silkiness, pleasant aroma. A good means of preserving and strengthening hair is an extract from calamus rhizomes in burdock oil. Use the extract as follows. In the evening, after washing and drying, comb the hair. Then, a certain amount of burdock oil is collected on fingers or a cotton swab and, applying with pressure, it is as if pressed into the skin. Rubbing is not recommended, as hair pulling occurs. The skin receives a complex of fatty substances, essential oils, vitamins, which leads to the normalization of the vital functions of the fatty glands, improves the nutrition of the hair roots. A cold infusion of calamus rhizomes with the addition of some alcohol or vodka is an excellent fragrant lotion for any skin. Rhizomes are chewed to eliminate bad breath, to strengthen the gums. Author: Reva M.L.
Calamus calamus, Acorus calamus L. Botanical description, habitat and habitats, chemical composition, use in medicine and industry
Synonyms: calamus root, gair, calamus root, kalmus, cinquefoil, Tatar potion, yaver, etc. A perennial herbaceous plant with a thick cylindrical sinuous rhizome, of the aroid family (Agaceae). The leaves are basal alternate, narrowly linear, xiphoid, 60-120 cm long, up to 2,5 cm wide. The stem is erect, flower-bearing, up to 120 cm high. The flowers are bisexual, small, greenish-yellow, hanging on the fleshy axis of the peduncle and forming a thick spike-shaped inflorescence, called the spadix. The length of the cob is 4-12 cm. The fruit is a multi-seeded dry red berry. Range and habitats. The supposed homeland of this species is India and China, but already in antiquity, with the help of man, the plant spread throughout Asia. The modern range of the species is clearly divided into four zones: Asian - India and Southeast Asia; Siberian - Ussuri region, south of Siberia and the Far East; European - Europe and the European part of Russia; American - Brazil, USA and southern Canada. Chemical composition. Calamus rhizomes contain about 5% essential oil, which includes a number of sesquiterpenes - azaron, beta-calamen (10%), calamenon, calamendiol, isocalamendiol, sesquiterpene alcohol calameol, as well as D-camphene (7%), D- camphor (8,7%), borneol (3%), eugenol, methyleugenol, caryophyllene, element, turmeric, proazulene, acorone, isoacorone, acolamon, calarene, neocarone, acetic and valeric acids, phytoncides and other substances. The content of essential oil in diploid plants averages 2,2%, in triploid - 3,1%, in tetraploid - 6,8%. Calamus oil is a yellow or dark brown liquid with a pleasant smell and a spicy-bitter taste. The oil is soluble in 90% alcohol; obtained by steam distillation of crushed raw materials. The main component of the essential oil is asarone, a derivative of phenylpropane. It exists in the form of two isomers: beta-azarone (cis) and alpha-azarone (trans), usually their total content in the essential oil is about 10%. Nevertheless, the essential oil of certain varieties of calamus contains up to 75% beta-azarone. Oil obtained from triploid and especially tetraploid plants contains up to 90% beta-azarone. The essential oil of the diploid variety Acorus calamus var. americanus Raf. practically devoid of beta-azarone. In addition to the essential oil, in the calamus rhizomes, a plant-specific bitter glycoside acorin, bitterness acoretin, as well as the glycoside lucenion, the alkaloid calamine, tannins - catechin tannins, resins, mucus, acoric acid, ascorbic (up to 150 mg%) and palmitic acids, were found, starch (up to 20%), choline, vitamins, iodine (1,2-1,9 mg%). The odor carrier is azarinaldehyde. Application in medicine. The bitter glycoside acorin contained in calamus rhizomes increases the excitability of the endings of taste nerves, enhances the reflex separation of gastric juice, especially hydrochloric acid, increases the biliary function of the liver, gallbladder tone and diuresis. In addition, calamus rhizome has an anti-inflammatory effect. Currently, calamus rhizomes are used internally only as bitterness to stimulate appetite in gastrointestinal diseases, especially gastritis occurring with low acidity, colitis, hepatitis and cholecystitis. Calamus root used to be used in medicine as a diuretic, in diseases accompanied by convulsions, in chronic diseases of the spinal cord with loss of sensation, and in palpitations. Other uses. As a spice, dried rhizomes can be used in place of nutmeg, bay leaf, ginger, and cinnamon. A tea is prepared from it, which stimulates the appetite, reduces heartburn and improves the activity of the gallbladder. In small quantities, they are used in the preparation of various soups, broths, sauces, cabbage, fried meat and potatoes, in canning fish, added to compotes from apples, pears and rhubarb. Many appreciate this plant in the preparation of sweet dishes, fruit soups and fruit salads, flavoring confectionery, bread. The rhizome is boiled in syrup, candied for confectionery. Rhizomes and essential oil are used in the production of various drinks. Fragrant jam is cooked from the bases of leaf blades. In Turkey, candied calamus rhizomes are an expensive delicacy. In Poland and Lithuania, the leaves are added to dough to add flavor to bread. In India, calamus is seasoned with meat, poultry and fish. When chewing the root, the gag reflex increases. It was used by those wishing to get rid of the habit of smoking. Authors: Turova A.D., Sapozhnikova E.N.
Air ordinary. The value of the plant, the procurement of raw materials, the use in traditional medicine and cooking
"And fragrant he oppresses the calamus, and, gliding along the line, the stems of the long muffins tear with a sparkling oar" - this is how Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy portrayed the calamus in the ballad "Alyosha Popovich". In essence, everything is correct here: calamus is high - you have to bend it with an oar, it is fragrant, and it grows among reeds, reeds and other marsh and coastal grasses, named in Ukraine in one word, outline. Calamus will be found both along the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, and in oxbow lakes, along the bottoms of hollows, wet beams and in river valleys. Its flowers are inconspicuous, collected in a brownish-greenish cob. Perhaps, because of them, the scientific nickname was given to the plant - Acorus, that is, unadorned, ugly. True, there is another interpretation, according to which the scientific name of calamus goes back to the Greek word akoron, which means "fragrant". Calamus grows high, up to a meter and a quarter. There is a kind of green cane surrounded by green swords - this is how the leaves collected in bunches look like. Leaves are attached to a branched rhizome. The flower-bearing stem is not round, but flattened: a groove is drawn on one side, and a rib is sharpened on the other. The cob of the inflorescence is "strung" on a fleshy rod, at the base the inflorescence is wrapped with a covering leaf - a wing. Since the spathe continues the stem, the cob seems to be bent, lateral. Its length is 4-12 centimeters. Calamus blooms at the time of the highest solar tension, in June - July. Its flowers are bisexual, each consisting of one pistil and six stamens. There are also six scaly tepals. Calamus rarely blooms throughout Europe, and does not set fruits at all, because the insects it needs are not found here. And they are needed to transfer pollen from stamens to stigmas. But in its original homeland, in India, this plant ties juicy red berries on the cob. In the temperate zone, calamus spreads exclusively vegetatively, with the help of roots. And they are where as branchy and half zuchi. Braiding the surface of the soil with cords, the roots "avoid" climbing into the wet silt, since the hairs do not develop without air access. The rhizome itself is thick, brown, with scars left by dead leaves, white inside, spongy. "Ir, or water paradise grass ... The root is reddish on the outside, white inside, finger-thick, light, composed of many knees, covered with fibers and has a piercing and deliberately pleasant smell. It contains a lot of oil and volatile salt," - we read in an old herbalist (XVIII century). The ubiquitous name of the rhizome is the irny root. The rhizome of calamus is healing, in the flora of health it is assigned one of the most honorable places. Essential oil was found in the rhizome, the odor carrier is azoric aldehyde, the active substance is calamine. Starch, vigor vitamin - ascorbic acid and acorine - aromatic bitterness were also found in the oily root, which, according to doctors, increases a person's "excitability to taste irritation, enhances the separation of gastric juice." Since ancient times, calamus has been included in the category of medicinal plants. It is used as a choleretic and diuretic, and more recently it has also been used to treat stomach ulcers. According to the recommendation, a decoction is prepared at the rate of 15 g of crushed rhizome per 3-3,5 cups of water and drink 1/3 - 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day before meals. Harvested rhizomes in late summer and autumn. They are dug, of course, only where harvesting does not harm nature. There are also vast reserves of calamus, especially along the Dnieper, the Northern Donets and the Southern Bug. The dug out rhizomes are cut off from the remnants of leaves and stems, washed in cold water, and then cut into pieces. Thick parts are split into thin parts. At first, the raw material is dried in the shade, after which the bark is removed with a knife and drying is continued there, under weight or in the attic. Lay out the pieces in a thin layer. The need for calamus is great, so in a number of countries it is grown as an industrial crop. Propagated by pieces of rhizomes, equipped with small roots. These pieces are buried in damp earth or coastal silt. The thickets are dense, with a rich yield of medicinal raw materials. And it is necessary not only for the pharmacy business. Calamus is an ancient spice that rivals the bay leaf; gives flavor to dishes, ennobles canned fish and fruit compotes. Candied calamus replaces exotic spices - ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavor of puddings and biscuits can be very attractive to them. Calamus is required in the manufacture of liqueurs and beer. It is quite possible to extract food starch from rhizomes. Irny root is needed by tanners - for tanning sheepskins, perfumers - in the production of tooth powders, pastes and tinctures for rinsing the mouth. Irnoe oil is used for making soaps and lipsticks. Aromatic baths prepared with calamus root have a calming effect. Coopers use the leaves of this plant to caulk tubs, tubs and vats. Calamus belongs to the aroid family, which mainly consists of perennial herbs with thick rhizomes and even tubers. Among them are creepers and floating aquatic plants. Their leaves are large, thick, sometimes fleshy. Flowers, like those of calamus, are collected in a dense cob. The purpose of the coverlet - the covering leaf of the inflorescence - is to protect the cob from bad weather. The aroid family in the world flora is represented by two thousand species. They are distributed mainly in the tropics and subtropics. It was once believed that calamus was brought to Russia in the Middle Ages by the Tatars. According to legend, at the time of the invasion, horsemen scattered pieces of fragrant rhizome over water bodies so that they, overgrown with calamus, would become even cleaner. And they imported roots from Asia Minor. Tatarske zilla - the Ukrainian nickname for calamus - just reminds of such a legend. Botanists think otherwise. They found a lot of materials about another way of penetration of grass on the European continent. The fragrant plant was brought from South India to Portugal in the XNUMXth century, and then to Prague and Vienna from Constantinople. From the botanical gardens, calamus quickly "stepped" to the east. In ancient times, Europeans did not use the plant as such, but a spice prepared from its roots. The specific name of the herb calamus means "cane". The nondescript cane is our calamus, which Alyosha Popovich seemed to be bent with an oar. Only the thief of beauties could not see him in epic times, which means that the voyage of the hero took place later. However, the ballad of A. K. Tolstoy is just a poetic invention, a poeticized legend. Everything is possible in legend. Author: Strizhev A.N.
Calamus (calamus root), Acorus calamus L. Description, habitats, nutritional value, use in cooking
Calamus is a perennial herbaceous marsh plant from the aroid family up to 60-120 cm high. The leaves are long, linear, with a pointed end, bright green in color, extending from the rhizome. The stem is triangular. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, collected in a cylindrical ear, located closer to the top of the stem. The rhizome is thick, creeping, brown, white inside with a pinkish tint. The fragrant, bitter-tasting rhizome is used for food. It forms thickets along the banks of lakes, oxbow lakes, streams and rivers, in the bays of ponds and lakes, in wetlands. Legends and traditions about calamus have come down to us from the distant past. It is assumed that calamus was brought from the south during the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Its rhizomes were thrown into water bodies and, if the plant took root, then the water was considered benign and suitable for humans and animals. Calamus rhizomes are harvested in autumn, when the water level in reservoirs decreases, and the root reaches its maximum size. For drying, the rhizome is cut into pieces 3 cm long and split into 4 parts. Dry at a temperature of 30-35 °C. Store in a closed container in a dry place. The rhizome contains up to 4,8% essential oil, up to 150 mg% ascorbic acid, starch, gum, tannins, bitter glycoside acorin. Dried calamus rhizomes can be used as a spice in place of bay leaves, ginger, and cinnamon. Essential oil is distilled from the rhizome and leaves, which is used to flavor liquors, beer, compotes, and confectionery. From the rhizomes, you can cook jam or just sugar them. Connoisseurs eat young, juicy and soft parts of plants and assure that this is a very tasty and healthy food, which also strengthens the gums and protects teeth from decay. Author: Koshcheev A.K.
Calamus ordinary (calamus marsh, calamus root), Acorus calamus. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
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Cosmetology:
Calamus ordinary (calamus marsh, calamus root), Acorus calamus. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing
Calamus (Acorus calamus) is a perennial herb with fragrant roots that are used in folk medicine and cooking. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing calamus: Cultivation:
Workpiece:
Storage:
Despite the fact that calamus is a valuable plant, it must be remembered that excessive use of the roots can cause side effects, so the use of calamus for medical purposes should be carried out only under the supervision of a specialist.
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