Throughout India ( Assam, Manipur, Kashmir) in marshes, also cultivated. It is propagated by rhizomes in farms as medicinal crop.

A semi-aquatic rhizomatous perennial herb, rhizome creeping, much branched, as thick as the middle finger, cylindrical or slightly compressed, light brown or pinkish brown externally, white and spongy within; leaves bright green, distichous, ensiform, base equitant, thickened in the middle, margins wavy; flowers light brown densely packed in sessile cylindric spadix; fruits oblong turbinate berries with a pyramidal top; seeds few, pendant from the apex of the cells. Flowering – Fruiting February to June.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS :

Rhizomes yield a light brownish yellow voatile oil known as Calamus oil. The important constituents are asarone and its B – isomer. Other constitutents are calamenol; calamene, calamenone, methyleugenol, eugenol and a – pinene and camphene, presence of small quantities of palmitic, heptylic and butyric acids, asaronaladeyde, calamol, calamone & azulene has also been reported. Sesquiterpenic ketones like acorone, calaene, calacone, calacorene, acorenone, acolamone, isoacolamone, epishobunone, isoshyobunone acoragermacrone, and alkaloids like isocalamendiol and preisocalamendiol are also present.

Rhizome – is acrid, bitter, thermogenic, aromatic, intellect promoting, emetic, laxative, carminative, stomachic, anthelmintic, emmenagogue, diuretic, alexiteric, expectorant, anodyne, antispasmodic, aphordisiac, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, sudorific, antipyretic, sialagogue, insecticidal, tranquillsing, nervine tonic, sedative and tonic.