Quill
Latin name: Acorus calamus
Botanical Family: Araceae (arum family)
acoro is Latin for “aromatic plant”, and Quill means “cane”. Flag comes from the Middle English word loose, which means “cane”. In fact, these highly aromatic reeds were highly sought after for weaving chair seats, ropes, mats, and baskets. This is also the famous “calamus root”, used for pain relief in the classic deep south folk tale, uncle remus.
Sweet flag, muskrat root, beewort, sweetgrass, sweet root, sweet cane, flagroot, and sweetrush are some of the many regional names. Our native Calamus, A. calamus, is a distinctive member of the Arum family, Araceae, which has around two thousand species worldwide that live mainly in humid regions. Its close relatives are jack-in-the-pulpit, green dragon, arrow arum, golden club, and skunk cabbage in the Northeast. When the calamus is not in bloom, it resembles the blue flag and, like the latter, has long been a highly prized root medicine among the eastern forest Indians and other tribes across its wide range.
The arum family, Araceae, includes more than 115 genera, and many of its species are ornamental plants grown in the tropics. The native perennial Calamus is found in wetlands, often standing in the water along streams and riverbanks in southern Canada from James Bay to Nova Scotia, south of North Carolina and west of Texas and the Oregon coast. Its long sword-shaped leaves are glossy pale green, with a stiff midrib running the entire length. The plants can grow up to five feet tall.
Mature stems can produce an outwardly protruding club-shaped spadix (a fleshy cylindrical flower structure) midway between May and August that produces small clusters of yellowish-green flowers. These ripen into small jelly-like berries that quickly dry out and disappear. All parts of the plant are fragrant when brushed or bruised, especially the highly aromatic underground root stems so prized in Native American medicine.
Long, creeping rootstocks, with many tiny rootlets along their lower half, are usually dug out of sand or wet mud, where these plants grow in dense colonies. Former Calamus colonies can take over an entire ecological niche in low, wet grasslands or swampy areas, crowding out almost all other plants. Transplanted to the garden, it becomes a beautiful slow-growing ornamental plant.
Traditional uses:
Some observers speculate that native peoples carried these valuable roots with them, establishing new stands of Calamus near their settlements as they moved and traded. The plant was so valuable to the American Indians, possessing innumerable medicinal and spiritual qualities, that it was a primary commercial product.
The roots are warm, aromatic, spicy and bitter, and much better infused in water than in wine or spirits, as they resist the latter. Indian children especially liked calamus root and chewed on a small piece, which was excellent for relieving colic, an upset stomach, and even toothaches. The calamus root was one of the first exports of the colonies, being highly sought after in England and China.
The Cheyenne called calamus wi’ukh is e’evo (bitter medicine), and traded with the Sioux to obtain the plant. They tied a small piece of calamus root to their children’s necklaces, dresses or blankets to ward off the spirits of the night and bless their dreams. Men and women of many different tribes used the long leaves as garlands and to adorn their hair. The Great Lakes tribes used the calamus extensively. Small pieces of the root were chewed and kept in the mouth to numb toothaches and other mouth problems, and to treat stomachaches, other digestive problems, sore throats, and colds. Calamus root infusions were also drunk to treat these same problems. Callamus water was often sprinkled on sacred objects and in all dwellings while prayers of renewal were offered.
The Hudson Bay Cree called calamus pow-e-men-arctic which means “fire or bitter pepper root”. The Penobscot and Nanticoke called it muskrat root, and in the early 1900s it was noted that calamus was perhaps the most important herb in Penobscot pharmacology. A legend from Penobscot said that a plague of disease was washing away the Indians and no one knew how to cure the people. Then one night a man was visited by a muskrat in a dream. The muskrat told him what a root was and where to find it. The man woke up, looked for the muskrat root, made a medicine out of it, and cured people of the plague. Sections of the dried root were cut, skewered and hung for the preservation of almost every house. Stan Neptune, a contemporary Penobscot artist, woodcarver and historian, recalls the importance of eating muskrat in winter, after the animals have been feeding on calamus root and their meat tastes “like sweet medicine.”
Gladys Tantaquidgeon, a Mohegan healer, noted that Delawares and other Eastern Algonquins made calamus tea that was used to treat coughs, colds, and suppressed menstruation. Calamus was combined with sassafras root for intestinal pain among Delaware and other eastern Algonquins. He described the eastern Algonquian practice of carrying a piece of muskrat root as a preventative of disease, to chew in case of sudden illness, and simply to ensure good health. Gladys also listed muskrat root as one of eleven botanical ingredients combined for a spring toner. Connecticut Mohegan also used small pieces of calamus root to treat rheumatism and colds. From talisman to sophisticated compounds, Calamus continues to be an invaluable health aid.
The name Pawnee is kahtsha itu (medicine that lay in water), and they have songs about the calamus in their mystery ceremonies, as these plants were considered to have mystical powers. The long leaves were ceremonially worn as garlands and attached to important objects to bring good luck and power. The Osage called this pexe boao’ka (flat grass), and the Omaha and Ponca called her makan-ninida; the roots were chewed to treat diabetes, especially among the Dakota. Potawatomi pulverized the root like a styptic.
Calamus is found throughout the world, mainly in the northern latitudes, and has an ancient history of uses. The unpeeled dried rhizome was officially included in the US Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1916 and in the National Form from 1936 to 1950. Doctors prescribed it for indigestion, upset stomach and gas, and as a general tonic.
Modern uses:
Extracts and bitters made from calamus root continue to be taken to relieve stomach cramps and indigestion. Calamus has long been valued as a flavoring and tonic agent, especially in aromatic bitters, and as a stimulant and carminative. Calamus continues to be a very valuable addition to many Native American healing formulas, ceremonies, and healthcare practices, and is still used, alone, in essential forms of healing from one tribe to another. Many traditional American Indian singers take the dried root to chew to improve their singing.
Calamus is an important component in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbalism. The rhizome, or root, is a valuable remedy for digestion and a tonic for the nervous system. It stimulates the appetite, relieves gas and colic, and is formulated in tinctures and decoctions, as well as powders. The aromatic qualities make the leaves a valuable insect repellent.
Bonds:
Some Asian varieties have been labeled unsafe because they have been associated with tumors found in some laboratory rats. The carcinogen is considered to be asarone, a component of the volatile oil. This is apparently not present in the American species.
Growth and propagation needs:
In nature, Calamus can form dense, interlocking mats in shallow water. Spring or fall is a good time to dig and collect the outer root tips, three to six inches long. Place them about two inches deep in the garden soil. Young shoots can grow quickly, sending out many white, hairy roots. These plants are beautiful additions to the garden, as their foliage is eye-catching.
Mates:
Calamus grows well in the company of the blue flag, the cardinal flower, the golden thread, and the cat in the pulpit. It will also grow quite well with other herbs that love moist soil.