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Calamus Essential Oil |
| Calamus has a very long history of medicinal use in many herbal traditions. It has been widely employed in herbal medicine as an aromatic stimulant and mild tonic. In Ayurveda it is highly valued as a rejuvenator for the brain and nervous system and as a remedy for digestive disorders, vertigo and headaches. |
| Botanical Name: | Acorus calamus L.
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| Family: | Acoraceae
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| Synonyms: | Calamus aromaticus, sweet sedge, sweet root, sweet rush, sweet cane, sweet myrtle, myrtle grass, flagroot, myrtle flag, sweet calamus, sweet flag, cinnamon sedge.
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| Similar Oils: |
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| Parts Used: | Root
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| Extraction Method: | Steam Distillation.
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| Appearance: | Yellow brownish liquid.
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| Aroma Description: | Fresh sweet citrus herbal.
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| Perfume note: | Base
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| Blends well with: | Cananga, cinnamon, labdanum, olibanum, oregano, patchouli, cedar wood, amyris and Ylang ylang.
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| Historical Uses: | Calamus has a very long history of medicinal use in many herbal traditions. It has been widely employed in herbal medicine as an aromatic stimulant and mild tonic. In Ayurveda it is highly valued as a rejuvenator for the brain and nervous system and as a remedy for digestive disorders, vertigo and headaches.
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| Modern Uses: | It is highly esteemed as an aromatic stimulant and tonic, often used for nervous complaints, vertigo, headaches, and dysentery. A fluid extract is an official preparation in the United States and some other Pharmacopceias, but it is not now official in the British Pharmacopceia, though it is much used in herbal medicine as an aromatic bitter. It also acts as a carminative, removing the discomfort caused by flatulence and checking the growth of the bacteria which give rise to this problem.
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| Cautions: | Use with caution. Will irritate the skin. May be carcinogenic.
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| Aromatherapy Uses: |
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Not used in Modern Aromatherapy.
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| Main Constituents, % |
| Beta-asarone |
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| Calamene |
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| Calamol |
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| Calamenene |
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| Eugenol |
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| Shybunones |
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| Physical Actions |
| Anticonvulsive, antiseptic, bactericidal, carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant, hypotensive, insecticide, spasmolytic, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vermifuge. |
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| Toxicity |
| LD50 - (oral) rat >not known mg/kg; (dermal) rabbit >not known. |
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