| Botanical Name (Latin):
Acorus calamus
Sanskrit
Name:
Vacha
Common Name (English):
Sweet Flag
Type of
Herb: Ayurvedic
Effect on the
Doshas:
Vata: - Pitta: +
Kapha: -
Rasa (Taste): katu, tikta
The six flavors are:
Madhura
(sweet) Amla (sour)
Lavana (salty)
Katu
(pungent) Tikta
(bitter) Kasaya (astringent)
Virya
(Energy): ushna
The two energies are:
Shita (cold)
Ushna (hot)
Vipak
(Post-Digestive Action):
katu
Guna
(Qualities):
laghu, tikshna
The twenty gunas or qualities
of all substances are: Guru
(heavy) Manda
(dull) Shita
(cold) Ushna (hot)
Snigdha
(unctuous) Slaksna
(smooth) Sandra
(dense) Mridu
(soft) Sthira
(stable) Suksma
(subtle) Visada
(non-slimy) Laghu
(light) Tikshna
(sharp) Rooksha
(un-unctuous, dry) Khara
(rough) Drava
(liquid) Kathina
(hard) Sara
(unstable) Sthula
(gross) Piccila
(slimy)
Prabhava
(Special Potency):
Dhatu
Affinity (Tissues
Entered):
nervous system
The seven dhatus or tissues
are: Rasa (plasma, lymph), Rakta
(red blood cells), Mamsa
(muscle tissue), Meda (adipose
tissue), Ashti (bone tissue),
Majja (bone marrow, nervous
tissue
, connective tissue), Shukra
(male reproductive tissue), Artava
(female reproductive tissue)
Pharmacological
Action:
K = kapha vata samaka, pittavardhaka, sothara, badanasaka, sangaya asthapaka, kasa hara, svedjinka, lekhana, jvaraghana, vamaka, anulomana; aromatic, stimulant, bitter, tonic, carminative, antispasmodic, emetic, expectorant, emmenagogue, aphrodisiac, laxative, diuretic. Alcoholic extract is sedative, analgesic, hypotensive, hyporespirative, intestinal relaxant (frog) negative inotropic (frog's heart), insecticidal to houseflies
Indications
(Uses):
Uv, Alzheimer's, epilepsy G&P, arthritis, obesity. K = diarrhea, dysentery, bronchial, chest affections, epilepsy, when burned root mixed with bland oit applied to abdomen treats flatulent colic; as poultice appled to paralyzed limbs and rheumatic swelling
Contraindications
(Cautions):
Constituents:
volatile essential oil = acorin, bitter principle acoretin (choline), calamine, starch, mucilage, tannin K = dry rhizome has 1.5% - 3.5% aromatic volatile oil. Main component is asaryl-aldehyde. Also present is bitter glycoside acorin, eugenol, ascarone, pinene, camphene, asarone alpha and beta types, small amount of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenic alcohols, and alkaloid choline
Active
Substances:
Plant Part
Used:
root
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