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Alchemica

Acorus calamus, some research.

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I've explored a little, I might explore more. Here's some of the research I've compiled.


Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use Acorus preferably to treat central nervous system (CNS) related diseases such as epilepsy, insanity, mental weakness, or insomnia. Calamus has been widely used internally in both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for degenerative central nervous system disorders associated with communication, focus, memory and learning. Paradoxically, calamus has both stimulating and sedating properties.

"Vacha (also known as Calamus and Sweet Flag) has been among the most revered herbs of traditional Chinese medicine and of Ayurveda, and has been one of the most renowned herbs used for mental and emotional disorders and for diseases of the nervous system. Calamus root (Acorus calamus) is a major herb for the mind and meditation, and is highly revered by yogis. Ancient yogis and seers used this herb and it is said to stimulate the power of self-expression and to enhance intelligence. Calamus promotes circulation to the brain, sharpens memory, enhances awareness, and increases communication. The yogic name, Vacha, means “speech” and refers to its action on the fifth chakra and its propensity to help you speak from your highest consciousness.

According to Ayurvedic tradition, Vacha is a 'sattvic' herb which feeds and transmutes the 'kundalini' energy in its action as a stimulating nerve tonic that helps support brain functioning. As a rejuvenative for the brain and nervous system, it is used to promote cerebral circulation, to stimulate self-expression (in Sanskrit vacha literally means speaking) and to help support overall brain health and functioning. Swami Thirtha calls this herb as "one of the best of the ‘mind herbs’
  [1. 2]

There are some interesting initial results with it. https://planetherbs.com/michaels-blog/intranasal-calamus-oil-effective-treatment-for-down-syndrome-and-autism.html
 

Both α- and/or β-asarone possess a wide range of pharmacological activities such as antidepressant, antianxiety, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-Parkinson's, antiepileptic, anticancer, antihyperlipidemic, antithrombotic, anticholestatic and neuroprotective activities through its interaction with multiple molecular targets. It's potent at potentiating NGF (also released/increased in love) but longer term potentially carcinogenic [https://examine.com/supplements/acorus-calamus/]. For acute ingestion, β-asarone and Acorus calamus appear to be quite beneficial and protective. Over the long term, it is potentially carcinogenic and causes organ damage.
 

Nose-to-brain delivery of asarone for brain diseases is being studied. Asarone effectively modulates microglial morphological dynamics, this effect of asarone may functionally relate to its influence on neurogenesis. It is a promising neuroprotective agent for future prevention and treatment of microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory conditions. α-Asarone improved the quality of sleep, as indicated by an increased NREM bout duration, reduced arousal index, and decreased bout frequencies of NREM sleep and wakefulness. α-asarone treatment at low doses attenuated the depression-like behaviour during nicotine withdrawal.
 

There are many reports of sedative and tranquillising properties of Acorus extracts and essential oil in animal models. Given that β-asarone is a major compound of the essential oil, its sedative and tranquillising activities may be due to the GABAA receptor modulating properties of this. The quantity of β-asarone in Acorus rhizome and essential oil, however, depends on the chemotype and thus varies considerably.
 

The simple phenylpropanoid β-asarone induced the high potentiation of GABAARs. Its efficiency at a GABAA was significantly higher than that of known GABAA receptor modulators such as benzodiazepines or natural products such as valerenic acid.
 

Anxiolytic effects of asarone were partially due to maintaining the balance between excitatory/inhibitory transmissions and attenuating neuronal hyper-excitability of excitatory neurons in the basolateral amygdala.
 

:β-asarone produces an antidepressant effect, increases TH and could promote expression of GDNF, BDNF, and CNTF genes. β-Asarone functions as a neuroprotective effect in both in vivo and in vitro models of PD.

 

α-asarone or β-asarone potentiated the NGF-induced neuronal differentiation.
 

The antidepressant-like effect of α-asarone could be mediated through both noradrenergic (α1 and α2 adrenoceptors) and serotonergic (particularly, 5-HT1A receptors) systems. α-asarone effectively modulates microglial morphological dynamics, this effect of α-asarone may functionally relate to its influence on neurogenesis. α-asarone improved m1 mAChR expression and ACh levels, and attenuated the increased AChE activity in a mouse model of FXS.
 

β-asarone antagonised Aβ neurotoxicity in vivo and improved the learning and memory ability. β-asarone might be effective for the treatment of AD

 

As for toxicity, a study comparing the effects of lower, more rational doses of calamus (2012) reported that an “ethanolic extract of Acorus calamus (up to a dose of 600mg/kg BW) lacked any potential toxicity, as it neither caused any lethality nor changed the general behaviour in both acute and chronic toxicity studies in rats.”

From http://www.herbcraft.org/calamus.html

 

"I probably know calamus more deeply than any other plant I’ve worked with, yet in spite of that (or perhaps because of it…) I find it most difficult to capture what I know of it in a way that adequately conveys its essential nature; its medicine. Perhaps this is because calamus is not a plant that facilitates “capturing” on any level, but rather teaches us to yield to the flow of things and let go of our needs for stark outlines and delineations. Still, this plant has clearly offered itself to me not only to learn from, but to share, and so that I’ll try to do here…

 

...some words to describe the effect of Sweet Flag: Calming. Centering. Perspective. Joyce Wardwell once used the word “Resolution”… that’s a good one. It’s tempting to say that it instills “focus”, but focus isn’t quite the right word. “Focus” implies fixing the perception on a certain aspect of something, and Sweet Flag tends to open one’s awareness so that they’re able to take in what’s going on around them (or within them) with great clarity, without singling out any one aspect. So perhaps saying it instills clarity of perception is more accurate. I like to use borrow the concept of "depth of field" from photography... a narrow depth of field implies a narrower range of focus; broad depth of field a broader, more inclusive focus... this isn't meant to imply a purely or predominantly visual effect; I think of calamus as increasing one's perceptual depth of field.
 

Sweet flag also seems to put your energy into balance, and get you energetically resonating as a whole. I like to say it "unscatters" energy. For this reason it excels as a treatment for panic and anxiety attacks, not only for full-fledged episodes, but for the "little daily anxiety attacks" that most of us can relate to. It is especially good when an intense/traumatic situation occurs, and you handle it excellently, but after its over you're all strung out and a nervous basketcase. I find it works best when a bit is chewed as soon as the onset of an attack is perceived... often I've heard that once the attack starts, it's not that it doesn't work as well, but that it's hard to remember to use it. Again, I think of that shuddering bitter quality; I visualize the shudder as the "freaking out" person getting a good shake: "Get a hold of yourself! Come back here, into your body! (Incidentally, I feel this affect on anxiety is the reason why it was used for quitting smoking: not just because it causes a "distaste for Tobacco" (it has been smoked with Tobacco for treating headaches; although I personally don't think the two blend together that well... like chocolate and tomatoes, if you had one, would you really want the other?). The intense anxiety associated with "Nicotine fixes" is very much like the anxiety picture that Sweet Flag is good for. However, it should not be assumed to be a magic bullet for the Tobacco habit, but rather an effective tool to supplement and enhance determination and will power. Quitting smoking requires… well, a long write up of its own.)

 

I've used the plant quite a bit with people suffering from trauma, including post traumatic stress disorder, chewed to push away the flashbacks, quell the panic, and return to the present moment. Feelings of dizziness, nervous queasy stomach, "leaving the body", panic, looks like a scared animal in the headlights, doesn't know which way to go, frozen by fear, wants to run, but which way?, disassociated... all these are good indications. Have the person chew on Calamus and breathe deeply, fully and slowly and often the anxiety and panic will fade. It's an another option to consider alongside excellent remedies such as anemone, or indian pipe.

 

In Ayurvedic medicine, calamus is called vacha, which means "to speak"... not only a restorer of the voice in a strictly auditory manner, it is said to connect the heart to the voice, to allow people to speak clearly, to speak truth. One client with PTSD would chew on it before or bring it with her to therapy sessions, as she felt it helped her let out things she felt she was holding in, fearing to speak aloud, to have "out there". Herbalist and Naturopath Anne Hill offers some eloquent insights: "Intuitively and thru some playing around with calamus I have come to regard it as an herb for when people are in stuck mental states, like spiritual emergence type of situations where a layer of fear becomes prominent and inflamed almost and is ready to unfurl itself and fall away so that the person can move to another working level. I think calamus helps by thinning the veil between ego and spirit as well as spirit and Universe (or ____________ please insert deity name of choice here). When one has a glimpse or feeling of universal love, that fear can be more easily released... My understanding of being in fear is that it is so all inclusive that it barricades itself in so that no new or different perspectives or information can be obtained to help one move outside of that fear."

 

K.P. Khalsa tells a very moving story in a presentation he offered on herbal remedies for autism (that link goes to a recorded presentation; calamus is discussed at 45:45) that illustrates the immense potential of vacha: "I was talking to someone the other day whose child [is] 16... he's been essentially nonverbal his entire life. He's said a couple of things here and there, but really he doesn't communicate verbally. She was telling me that recently they were sitting in their living room watching TV and mom and dad were sitting on the sofa behind the child... he was sitting a few feet from the TV on the floor watching his favorite TV show... and he'd never said a word to them in their entire life. He had started taking calamus from their therapist about 2 weeks previously, and in the middle of his favorite TV show, he turned around, looked at both of them on the couch, and said "Mom and dad, I love you."

Edited by Alchemica
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