Quill

Latin name: Acorus calamus

Botanical family: Araceae (arum family)

Acorus 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 in high demand for weaving chair seats, ropes, rugs, and baskets. This is also the famous “calamus root”, used for pain relief in the classic deep southern folk tales, Uncle remus.

Sweet flag, muskrat root, bee grass, sweet grass, sweet root, candy 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 valued root medicine among eastern forest Indians and other tribes in 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 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 rigid midrib that runs 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 bearing small clusters of yellowish-green flowers. These ripen into small gelatinous berries that quickly dry and disappear. All parts of the plant are fragrant when brushed or bruised, especially the highly aromatic underground root stalks so prized in Native American medicine.

Long, creeping rootstocks, with many tiny rootlets along their lower half, are usually dug out of wet sand or mud, where these plants grow in dense colonies. Former colonies of Calamus can take over an entire ecological niche in low, wet grasslands or swampy areas, displacing 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 that it possessed innumerable medicinal and spiritual qualities that it was a primary commercial product.

The roots are warm, aromatic, pungent, and bitter, and they infuse much better 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 for 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 oral problems, and to treat stomach aches, other digestive problems, sore throats, and colds. Calamus root infusions were also taken to treat these same problems. Calamus water is often sprinkled on sacred items and in all homes while offering prayers for renovation.

The Hudson Bay Cree named Calamus pow-e-men-arctic which means “fire or bitter pepper root”. 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 sweeping 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, turned it into a medicine, 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 Delaware and other eastern Algonquins made a Calamus tea that was used to treat coughs, colds, and suppressed menstruation. The calamus was combined with sassafras root for intestinal pain among Delaware and other eastern Algonquins. He described the practice of the eastern Algonquian people of carrying a piece of muskrat root as a preventative of disease, to chew in case of sudden illness, and only to ensure good health. Gladys also listed muskrat root as one of eleven botanicals soaked together for a spring tonic. The Connecticut Mohegan also used small pieces of calamus root to treat rheumatism and colds. From talisman to sophisticated compounds, Calamus remains the most valuable health aid.

Pawnee’s name is kahtsha itu (medicine in water), and they have songs about the calamus in their mysterious 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 Omaha and Ponca called it makan-ninida; the roots were chewed to treat diabetes, especially among the Dakota. Potawatomi powdered the root as an astringent.

The calamus is found throughout the world, mainly in the northern latitudes, and has an ancient history of uses. The dried and unpeeled rhizome was officially on the list of US Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1916 and in the National Form from 1936 to 1950. Doctors prescribed it for indigestion, stomach ailments 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 remains 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 tribe to tribe. Many traditional American Indian singers carry the dried root to chew and enhance their singing.

The calamus is an important component of 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 gather the tips of the outer roots, 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 amazing.

Classmates:

Calamus grows well in the company of the blue flag, the cardinal flower, the golden thread and the pulpit. It will also grow quite well with other moist soil loving herbs.