Calamus Root/Sweet Flag Root (Organic)

Bulk Herbs: Calamus Root, Organic (Sweet Flag Root)
Acorus calamus

Format: Root
Size: 1 oz package

Also known as: Acorus calamus, Sweet Flag, Cinnamon Sedge, Sweet Myrtle, Acorus, Gaddon, Myrtle Flag, Myrtle Grass, Myrtke Sedge, Sweet Canem, Sweet Flag, Sweet Grass, Sweet Root, Sweet Sedge, Lubigan, and Sweet Rush.

Farming Type: Organic
Origin: India

The sharp-edged Calamus is a perennial, semi-aquatic plant that grows in marshes and on muddy stream banks. Although experts usually say the plant may have been used in herbal medicine for as long as 4,000 years, the first mention of the plant as a medicine appears in the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica, a Chinese medical text dating even earlier, to about 2837 BCE. The traditional use of Calamus was to "open the orifices" to allow the inner spirit to reach out to the world. Chinese physicians of antiquity reported that calamus "vaporized phlegm," but the word they used refers to not just physical phlegm but also the "residues" of difficult emotions.

Calamus was also employed to treat winter-time joint pain, wounds, and sores. In the United States and Canada, Calamus was used to make calamine lotion, used to relieve skin inflammation of all origins. It was considered a sacred incense by both the Sumerians and the Egyptians. Native Americans planted Calamus along migratory paths so it could be harvested later. It was normally used as an antiseptic for toothaches and headaches. It was also used as an attractant for muskrats, who voraciously ate the root, even collecting it for future consumption in their nests. Native Americans planted it on the edge of villages so they could trap the muskrats when they came for the root. Walt Whitman wrote 39 poems for Calamus in his famous work, Leaves of Grass. Ayurvedic medicine uses it as a rejuvenator of the brain and nervous system and as a remedy for digestive disorders.

Varieties of Calamus traded in the United States (and all the varieties of Calamus permitted for import by Health Canada) are most effective when used externally. In the United States and Canada, Calamus has been used to make calamine lotion and to relieve skin inflammations of all types. As a bath additive, Calamus helps with circulation and joint pain; as a gargle, it relieves a sore throat. As a lotion, Calamus relieves skin inflammation of all origins.

Note: For external use only. Its internal use is considered poisonous to those who are not well-versed in herbal medicine. Although we have had many centuries, global cultures have associated the consumption of Calamus with long life and good health, the FDA strictly prohibits its use in food products. DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY!

In magick, Calumus is ruled by the moon and water. The root is often used in healing sachets and incenses. It is said that if small pieces of this root are kept in the kitchen, it will protect against hunger and poverty. It can also be used to strengthen all types of binding magick.

Keywords: Luck, Healing, Money, and Protection

For educational purposes only. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated this information. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.