Sweet flag

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Sweet flag
Sweet flag (Acorus calamus)

Sweet flag ( Acorus calamus )

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Monocots
Order : Sweet flag (Acorales)
Family : Calamus family (Acoraceae)
Genre : Sweet flag ( acorus )
Type : Sweet flag
Scientific name
Acorus calamus
L.

The ( Indian ) calamus ( Acorus calamus ) is a plant from the genus calamus ( Acorus ) within the family Kalmusgewächse (Acoraceae). The marsh plant comes from Asia, was naturalized in Central Europe in the 16th century and is widespread throughout the northern hemisphere .

description

Illustration from Koehler's medicinal plants
Seeds

Vegetative characteristics

Calamus is a perennial , herbaceous plant that reaches heights of 60 to 100, more rarely up to 120 centimeters. It has a fleshy, thumb-thick, aromatic camphor-smelling rhizome . which contains about 1.5 to 5% essential oil. The reproduction takes place in Central Europe exclusively vegetatively through the growth of the rhizomes. The stem is three-sided and leafed in two lines.

The reed-like leaves are unifacial , sword-shaped and are reminiscent of those of the iris ; which, however, in contrast to these are colored yellow-green when fresh. At the edge, the leaves are typically heavily curled in some places.

Generative characteristics

The flowering period extends from June to July. It looks like the inflorescence is sideways; it is a 4 to 10 centimeter long, greenish to reddish cob . The spathe forms the apparent extension of the stem. The hermaphrodite flowers are inconspicuous (3 to 4 millimeters wide), threefold and pentacyclic, i.e. they consist of five petal circles. The yellowish-green bracts are conformed ( tepals [Tepalen]); they are hooded and shorter than 1 millimeter.

The fruits do not ripen in Central Europe.

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24, 36, 42, 44, 45 or 66.

Distribution and location

The homeland of the sweet flag is Asia and North America. Calamus is naturalized in Central and Eastern Europe to Eastern Siberia and Egypt . The calamus settled in Europe at the end of the 16th century.

Calamus is one of the reed plants . In marshland , in particular, it colonizes the bank zones of nutrient-rich, stagnant and slow-flowing, sun-warm waters. The calamus is found from the planar to the montane altitude level . He is a character species of the Acoretum from the association Phragmition.

Systematics

The first publication of Acorus calamus was in 1753 by Carl von Linné . Synonyms for Acorus calamus L. are Calamus aromaticus Garsault , A. verus (L.) Raf. , A. odoratus Lam. ., A. legitimus , A. vulgaris , Canna persidis , Ciparus .

Of Acorus calamus there depending on the author about three to four varieties:

  • Acorus calamus var. Calamus L. (Syn .: Acorus calamus var. Verus L. , Acorus calamus subsp. Vulgaris (L.) Ehrh. , Acorus verus (L.) Raf. , Acorus europaeus Dumort. , Acorus belangeri Schott , Acorus calamus var. belangeri (Schott) Engl. ): It is originally distributed from Siberia to Korea and from Central Asia to the Himalayas. It is a triploid or tetraploid form.
  • Acorus calamus var. Angustatus Bess. (Syn .: Acorus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Schott , Acorus tatarinowii Schott , Acorus triqueter Turcz. Ex Schott , Acorus spurius Schott , Acorus asiaticus Nakai ): It is widespread in Southeast Asia , Japan and Taiwan .
  • Acorus calamus var. Americanus ( Raf. ) Wulff : Is diploid and is usually used as a separate species of American sweet flag (Acorus americanus) (Raf.) Raf. guided. It occurs from Siberia to Mongolia and from subarctic North America to the United States. The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.

German names

Synonyms: Common Kalmus , rabbits Wurz , rabbits root , Karremans Wurz , Karremans root , Schwertheu , stomach fire , stomach Wurz , gnawing Wurz , arable Wurz , Wurtz Riedt , Gewürzkalmus , Rotting , Zehrwurz ; also German ginger .

Calamus essential oil

ingredients

The leaves contain up to 20% starch , plus 1.5 to 3.5% essential oil , including asarone and eugenol, as well as various tannins and bitter substances, including acorenone . The rhizome contains between 1.7 and 9.3% essential oils. In addition, ascorbic acid (up to 130 mg / 100 g) and proanthocyanidins, and in the rhizome choline (about 125 mg / 100 g), fatty acids ( arachidonic acid , linoleic acid , myristic acid , palmitic acid and stearic acid ) and other carbohydrates are found - mainly in the above-ground parts of the plant ( Fructose , glucose and maltose ).

use

In addition to its importance as a cultivated ornamental plant, calamus is a traditional medicinal plant of Asian medicine , which has also been known in Europe and used as a medicinal plant since the 12th century. Calamus is also used by indigenous peoples of North America for medicinal baths, smoking, tea making and as a spice.

The rhizome ( calami rhizoma ) of the sweet flag is used, which is harvested in September and October. Calamus oil is extracted from the rhizomes and is used in medicine and in perfume and liqueur production (mainly for bitters). Sweet flag is considered invigorating, stimulating gastric secretion and stimulating the appetite. Furthermore, calamus should help against flatulence (gas), indigestion , gastritis and stomach ulcers . It can also be used against exhaustion and weakness caused by gastrointestinal complaints and cramps caused by flatulence.

Chewing the root is said to lift the mood and cause mild hallucinations in higher doses , for which the Asarones are held responsible. The root and the asarones are also ascribed aphrodisiac properties. Asarone are mutagenic , carcinogenic and toxic to reproduction , while the stated positive effects have not been scientifically proven.

Names

The common name Kalmus with the variants Kalmes and Kalmser, which is widespread in today's German, has been documented as kalmus (z) since the late Middle High German period and goes back via Latin calamus to Greek κάλαμος (kálamos) , stalk, reed, reed '; same origin have different names for reed-like grasses in the Slavic languages like Russian камыш (kamyš) , ledges '. The word caramel is also derived from this . "Wrong Kalmus" is a term for the well water iris (in the Middle Ages also falsely acorus ) called pseudacorus .

See also

literature

  • Elfrune Wendelberger: Plants of the wetlands - bodies of water, moors, floodplains . Book guild Gutenberg, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-7632-3265-6 (original edition: BLV , Munich / Vienna / Zurich 1986, ISBN 3-405-12967-2 ).
  • Andreas Alberts, Peter Mullen: Aphrodisiacs from nature. From mandrake to magic mushroom; Purpose, effect, use . Franckh-Kosmos , Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09232-1 .
  • Kurt Schneider, Johann Jurenitsch: Calamus as a medicine: benefit or risk? In: The Pharmacy . tape 47 , no. 2 , February 1992, ISSN  0031-7144 , p. 79-85 .
  • Manfred Mücke: About the structure and development of fruits and about the origin of Acorus calamus L. In: Botanische Zeitung, I. Department 1908, Issue 1, pp. 1–23.
  • Ulrich Stoll: Kalmus, Gilge and Würzhalm. Notes on an old mistake story. In: Reports on the History of Science 15, 1992, pp. 227–242.

Web links

Commons : Calamus ( Acorus calamus )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Tropicos. tropicos.org
  2. ↑ a b c d e Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Acorus calamus - data sheet at World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Last accessed on June 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . With the collaboration of Angelika Schwabe and Theo Müller. 8th, heavily revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 , pp.  118 .
  4. ↑ Catalog of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist Calamus aromaticus Garsault
  5. ^ A b Heinrich Marzell / Heinz Paul, Dictionary of German Plant Names  I, Leipzig 1943 (Cologne 2000, reprint), p. 110ff .; see there also other, dialect and older names. Marzell's sources: calamus ( aromaticus ), canna persidis , ciparus  Hermann Fischer, Mittelalterliche Pflanzenkunde , Munich 1929, p. 257; acorus verus , acorus legitimus Caspar Bauhin , Pinax theatri botanici, sive index in Theophrasti, Dioscoridis, Plinii et Botanicorum qui a saeculo scripserunt opera etc. , Basileae 1671 (Basileae 1623), p. 34 ; kalmus ( z ) Hortus Sanitatis, germanice , Mainz (Peter Schöffer) 1485, p. 127 & c .; Kalmes J./W. Grimm, German Dictionary  V, 1873, p. 73 & c .; Kalmser , Gewürzkalmus , gnawing Wurz , stomach fire , Zehrwurz  Friedrich Holl, Dictionary German plant names , Erfurt 1833, p. 184; Rabbit root , Karremans root Georg Arends , popular names of medicines, drugs, medicinal herbs and chemicals: a collection of popular names and trade names , 11th edition. Berlin 1930, p. 140f .; Schwertheu  P. A. Nemnich, General Polyglot Lexicon of Natural History  I, Hamburg / Halle (Leipzig) 1793, p. 35; Stomach root Heinr. Godfr. Count v. Mattuschka , Flora Silesiaca or Directory of Plants Growing Wild in Silesia  I, Breslau / Leipzig 1776, p. 305; Acker Wurz , Wurtz Riedt  Jacobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus / Nicol. Braun, Neuw Kreuterbuch. The other Theyl , Frankfurt a. M. 1591, p. 327 & c .; Ackermann  Thomas Pancovius / Barth. Zornn, Herbarium or Herb and Vegetable Book ... , Cölln an der Spree 1673, p. 10 & c .; Rotting  Carl Jakob Durheim, Swiss Plant Idioticon . A dictionary of plant names in the various dialects of German, French and Italian Switzerland , Bern 1856, p. 4th          
  6. ↑ Entry on calamus oil. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on May 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ Christel Kasselmann : aquarium plants. Ulmer, Stuttgart (1995) 2nd, revised and expanded edition, ibid 1999, ISBN 3-8001-7454-5 , p. 86.
  8. ↑ Kalmus - "German ginger" . At www.ptaheute.de.
  9. ↑ a b W. Blaschek, R. Hansel, K. Keller J. Reichling, H. Rimpler, G. Schneider (ed.): Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical practice sequel two drugs O K . 5th edition. Springer, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York 2012, ISBN 978-3-642-63794-0 , pp. 18–33 ( online - unaltered reprint of the first edition from 1998).
  10. ↑ Ulrich Stoll: Kalmus, Gilge and Würzhalm. Notes on an old mistake story. In: Reports on the History of Science 15, 1992, pp. 227–242; here: p. 235 f.
  11. ↑ a b Alberts and Mullen, p. 32.
  12. ^ Rudolf Fritz Weiss : Textbook of Phytotherapy. 5th edition. Stuttgart 1982, pp. 60-62.
  13. ↑ David Hoffmann: Naturally healthy - herbal medicine . Over 200 herbs and medicinal plants and their effects on health. Ed .: Element Books. 1st edition. Element Books, Shaftesbury , England , UK 1996, Part Three: The Plant Directory, pp. 54 (256 pp., English: The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal . Shaftesbury, England 1996. Translated by Mosaik Verlag).