What is Calamus Root?

Calamus Root is the dried rhizome of Acorus calamus, an aromatic wetland plant also called Sweet Flag. Despite common names that include "rush" and "sedge," it is neither. The root is prized for its exceptionally distinctive sweet-pungent aroma.

About the plant

Calamus grows in shallow water across the Northern Hemisphere and has a long documented history across European, Asian, and Native American folk tradition, where the dried and powdered rhizome was sometimes used as a fragrance and as a substitute for ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It carries the name "Vacha" (or "Bach") in Sanskrit. Calamus comes in different chromosomal varieties with very different chemistry: the European and Asian tetraploid contains substantial beta-asarone, which the FDA restricted from food use in 1968, while the North American diploid contains little or none. We offer this root as an aromatic botanical specimen.

Calamus Root: form & sizes

We carry Calamus Root as cut and sifted dried root, sold by weight in sizes from 1 oz to 1 lb. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store Calamus Root in an airtight container, away from heat, light, and humidity, to preserve its color and aroma.

Calamus Root at a glance

Botanical name

Acorus calamus

Family

Acoraceae

Native region

wetlands across the Northern Hemisphere

Plant part

root (rhizome)

Also known as

Sweet Flag, Sweet Calamus, Vacha

Notable compound

Beta-asarone (varies sharply by variety)

Form

cut and sifted dried root

Sizes

1 oz to 1 lb