CALAMUS

Chemical Properties

Calamus has sword-shaped leaves and a yellow-green, flowering spike protruding at an angle from a three-sided stem. This distinguishes it from poisonous irises. It is found in damp, swampy areas. Various chromosomic species exist (di-, tri- and tetraploid). It is a perennial water plant, native to India, now widespread. It is about 1 m tall and exhibits a penetrating, pleasant odor. It has cylindrical, nodular, branched rhizomes. It flowers from June to August. Rhizomes are used to produce oil. The rhizomes have been used medicinally since biblical times.
The underground rhizome is used as a spice and flavoring in drinks, cosmetics and toothpastes. However, because the major component, isoasarone, has been linked to the development of tumors in animals, the use of calamus and its extracts are prohibited by the FDA. In recent years, A. calamus has been classified into four separate varieties, which grow in different locations worldwide. The virtually isoasarone-free plant grows in North America (drug type I). Western Europe is home to another type of calamus, the oil of which contains 10% isoasarone (drug type II). Two other varieties have been found to contain 96% isoasarone (drug type III and IV).

Essential oil composition

Calamus contains from 1.5 to 3.5% of a volatile oil responsible for the plant’s characteristic smell and taste. Major component (up to 75%) in some types of calamus oil is β-asarone (also called as cis-isoasarone). In addition to isoasarone, more than a dozen other fragment compounds have been identified in the oil. In addition to the toxic asarone, the other main constituents include d-α-pinene, camphene, cineol, camphor, eugenol and methyleugenol.

Raw materials

Preparation Products