Araceae
Family - "Sweet Flag, Beewort, Bitter Pepper Root, Calamus, Calamus Root, Pine Root,
Reed Acorus, Flagroot, Myrtle Grass, Myrtle Root, Pine Root, Sea Sedge, Drug Sweetflag,
Sweet Cane, Sweet Cinnamon, Sweet Grass, Sweet Myrtle, Sweet Sedge, Sweet Root,
Sweet Segg, Sweet Rush, Sweet Rush"
Acorus from an ancient word of Latin origin meaning "aromatic plant" and calamus, an ancient word for "reed".
Aromatic, colony-forming perennial 1 to 4 feet tall with leaves like a cattail. Flowers are very tightly bunched on a long, thin spadix. Grows at pond edges and in wet fields throughout the Midwest.
Native Americans chewed the root or made a tea from the dried root for treating gas, stomachaches, indigestion, heartburn, fevers, colds, and coughs; anti-spasmodic, anti-conversant, central nervous system depressant; in India it has been used for many years as an aphrodisiac. They also chewed the root to stave off thirst and as a stimulant on long journeys.
German studies showed the controlled dosages of the root helped lower serum cholesterol levels in rabbits.
In Appalachia, freshly cut leaves are still used as an insecticide.
The inner portions of the tender young shoots make a very tasty Spring salad. The Pennsylvania Dutch used the root to flavor pickles and the powdered root has been used to make cachets and scent perfumes.
Warning! - Some species are thought to contain the carcinogen beta-asarone. Vapors from the roots do repel some insects. The root, when candied, was a long-time pioneer confection. It was boiled all day long, cut into small pieces, and then boiled again for a few more minutes in thick maple syrup. This "candy" was used most often used to aid digestion, but also used to serve as a tonic and physic