Essential Oil - Calamus
Essential Oil – Calamus
Botanical Information
Calamus (Acorus calamus var. angustatus) belongs to the Araceae family. It is commonly known as sweet flag, sweet sedge, sweet root, sweet rush, sweet cane, sweet myrtle, myrtle grass, myrtle sedge, and cinnamon sedge. It is an aromatic, reed-like aquatic plant that grows up to 1 metre in height. The plant has long sword-shaped leaves, greenish-yellow flowers, and thick creeping rhizomes that grow in muddy areas along lakes, ponds, and streams.
Habitat and Cultivation
Calamus is native to India and is widely cultivated in India and Russia, with additional production in China, Siberia, Poland, and other parts of Europe. It thrives in marshes, wetlands, and freshwater habitats where the rhizomes remain partially submerged in moist soil.
Related Species
Although Calamus resembles the yellow flag iris, the two plants are botanically unrelated. Other aromatic species, such as Acorus odoratus, are also cultivated in Asia for medicinal and fragrance purposes.
Parts Used
The rhizomes (roots) are the primary source of Calamus essential oil. In some regions, the leaves are also steam distilled to produce the oil.
Extraction Method
Calamus essential oil is obtained through steam distillation of the rhizomes and, occasionally, the leaves.
Aroma and Characteristics
Calamus essential oil is a thick, pale yellow liquid with a warm, woody, spicy aroma. Lower-quality oils may have a noticeable camphor-like scent. The oil blends well with cananga, cinnamon, labdanum, frankincense, patchouli, cedarwood, amyris, and other woody, spicy, and oriental essential oils.
Major Chemical Constituents
The major constituents of Calamus essential oil include β-asarone (levels vary depending on origin), calamene, calamol, calamenene, eugenol, and shyobunones. Indian Calamus oil generally contains much higher levels of β-asarone than Russian varieties.
Traditional Uses
In Ayurvedic and traditional herbal medicine, Calamus has long been valued as an aromatic digestive tonic. It has traditionally been used to support indigestion, gastritis, intestinal colic, poor appetite, stomach ulcers, bronchitis, coughs, fever, headaches, vertigo, dysentery, and nervous exhaustion. In India, candied rhizomes have also been traditionally consumed as a digestive aid.
Traditional Therapeutic Actions
Calamus has traditionally been described as anticonvulsant, antiseptic, antibacterial, carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, hypotensive, insecticidal, antispasmodic, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, and vermifuge.
Safety Profile
Calamus essential oil is not considered safe for therapeutic use. It contains β-asarone, a compound associated with toxicity and potential carcinogenic effects. For this reason, Calamus essential oil should not be used internally or externally for aromatherapy or home treatment. Many countries also prohibit the use of Calamus oil and its extracts in food products because of these safety concerns.
Other Uses
Despite its safety limitations, Calamus essential oil has been widely used in the perfume and cosmetic industries, particularly in woody, oriental, and leather fragrances. It has also been used to scent hair powders and tooth powders. Today, however, its commercial use is much more limited because modern safety regulations restrict products containing β-asarone.
