Acorus calamus : An overview

Abstract

Acorus calamus (Sweet flag) is a wetland perennial monocot plant,  in which the scented leaves and rhizomes have been traditionally used medicinally against different ailments like,fever, asthma, bronchitis, cough and mainly for digestive problems such as gas, bloating, colic, and poor digestive function. Number of active constituents and essential oil were identified and characterized from the leaves and rhizomes of sweet flag. An over view of the pharmacological activities and insecticidal activities are summarized here.   Key words: Acorus calamus, Acorus gramineus, Acoraceae, active constituents, pharmacology.