16 AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS. 



SWEET-FLAG. 

 Acorus calamus L. 



Pharmacopceial name. — Calamus. 



Other common names. — Sweet cane, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweet rush, 

 sweet sedge, sweet segg, sweetroot, cinnamon-sedge, myrtle-flag, myrtle-grass, 

 myrtle-sedge, beewort. 



Hahltat and range. — This plant frequents wet and muddy places and borders 

 of streams from Nova Scotia to Minnesota, southward to Florida and Texas, 

 also occurring in Europe and Asia. It is usually partly immersed in water, and 

 is generally found in company with the cat-tail and other water-loving species 

 of flag. 



Description of plant. — The swordlike leaves of the sweet-flag resemble those 

 of other flags so much that before the plant is in flower it is difficult to recog- 

 nize simply by the appearance of its leaves. The leaves of the blue flag or 

 " poison-flag," as it has been called, are very similar to those of the sweet-flag, 

 and this resemblance often leads to cases of poisoning among children who 

 thus mistake one for the other. However, as the leaves of the sweet-flag are 

 fragrant, the odor will be a means of recognizing it. Of course when the sweet- 

 flag is in flowef the identification of the plant is easy. 



The sheathing leaves of this native perennial, which belongs to the arum 

 family (Aracea*), are from 2 to 6 feet in height and about 1 inch in width; 

 they are sharp pointed and have a ridged midrib running their entire length. 

 The flowering head, produced from the side of the stalk, consists of a fleshy 

 spike sometimes S^ inches long and about one-half inch in thickness, closely 

 covered with very small greenish yellow flowers, which appear from May to 

 July. (PI. I, fig. 3.) 



Description of rootstock. — The long, creeping rootstock of the sweet-flag is 

 thick and fleshy, somewhat spongy, and producing numerous rootlets. (PI. I, 

 fig. 3.) The odor is vei'y aromatic and agreeable, and the taste pungent and 

 bitter. The dried article, as found in the stores, consists of entire or split 

 pieces of various lengths, from 8 to 6 inches, light brown on the outside with 

 blackish spots, sharply wrinkled lengthwise, the upper surface marked obliquely 

 with dark leaf scars, and tlie lower surface showing many small circular scars, 

 which, at first glance, give one the impression that the root is worm-eaten, but 

 which are the remains of rootlets that have been removed from the rootstock. 

 Internally the rootstock is whitish and of a spongy texture. The aromatic odor 

 and pungent, bitter taste art retained in the dried article. 



Colh'ction. prices, and uses. — The United States Pharmacopoeia directs that 

 the unpeeled rhizome, or rootstock, be used. It is collected either in early 

 spring or late in autumn. It is pulled or grubbed from the soft earth, freed 

 from adhering dirt, and the rootlets removed, as these are not so aromatic and 

 more bitter. The rootstock is then carefully dried, sometimes by means of 

 moderate heat. Sweet-flag deteriorates with age and is subject to the attacks 

 of worms. It loses about three-fourths of its weight in drying. 



Some of the sweet-flag root found in commerce consists of handsome white 

 pieces. These usually come from Germany, and have been peeled before drying, 

 but they are not so strong and aromatic as the unpeeled roots. Unpeeled sweet- 

 flag root brings from 3 to 6 cents a pound. 



Sweet-flag is employed as an aromatic stimulant and tonic in feeble digestion. 

 The dried root is frequently chewed for the relief of dyspepsia. 



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