Other Definitions
sweet flag (dict)
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Sweet FlagCalamus or Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) is a plant from the Acoraceae family. It is a tall perennial wetland monocot with scented leaves and rhizomes which have been used medicinally, for its odor, and as a psychotropic drug. Botany Acorus calamus is categorized into 3 varieties based on number of its chromosomes: americanus (diploid chromosomes), vulgaris (triploid chromosomes) and angustatus (tetraploid chromosomes). Americanus is native to North America, Siberia and temperate Asia. Vulgaris is native to Europe, temperate India and the Himalayas. Angustatus is native to tropical Southeast Asia, Japan and Taiwan. Acorus from Europe, China and Japan have been planted in the United States. Acorus gramineus is the only other member of the Acorus genus. Chemistry Both triploid and tetraploid calamus contain asarone, but diploid does not contain any. Regulations Calamus and products derived from calamus (such as its oil) were banned in 1968 as food additives and medicines by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Usage Calamus has been used medicinally for a variety of ailments. In antiquity, calamus was often added to wine. Calamus has been used as a "street drug alternative". Cultural symbolism The calamus has long been a symbol of male love. The name is taken from Greek myth: Kalamos, a son of the river-god Maeander, who loved Karpos, the son of Zephyus. When Karpus drowned, Kalamos was transformed into a reed, whose rustling in the wind was interpreted as a sigh of lamentation. Walt Whitman added a section called The Calamus Poems, celebrating the love of men, to the third edition of Leaves of Grass, published in 1860, and in which the calamus is used as a symbol of love, lust, and affection. It has been suggested that the symbology derives from the visual resemblane of the reed to the erect human penis. The name Sweet Flag refers to its sweet scent (It has been used as a strewing herb) and the wavy edges of the leaves which are supposed to resemble a fluttering flag. External links Section Miscellaneous information Section Eclectic herbal information
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