calamus

Acorus calamus is a poisonous plant included in the plant atlas database of China, and its toxicity is the whole plant, and its rhizome is more toxic. When taken orally in large doses, strong hallucinations occur. The LD50 of Acorus calamus oil was 221 mg/kg after intraperitoneal injection in rats. Within a few minutes, rats had rapid and shallow breathing, paroxysmal spasm and then tonic spasm, and finally died. Mice were injected with 4 g/kg of water extract from rhizome intraperitoneally, which had sedative effect. The MLD and Ldloo of alcohol extracts were 4g/kg and 8g/kg, respectively. Gastroenteritis and diarrhea caused by poisoning of calamus japonicus var. Japonica. Perennial aquatic herbs. Aroma, rhizomes transverse, thick, slightly flat, 0.5-2cm in diameter, with many adventitious roots (fibrous roots). Basal leaves, sword-shaped linear leaves, 50-120cm long, or longer, 1-3cm wide in the middle, with sheath-like leaves at the base, which embrace the stem, tapering below the middle, with obvious middle auxiliary veins, bulging on both sides, and 3-5 parallel veins on each side; There is a membranous leaf sheath at the base of the leaf, which falls off later. The base of the flower stem is oblate, 20-50cm long, and the leaflike spathe is 20-40cm long. Spike grows upright or obliquely upward, cylindrical, yellow-green, 4-9mm long and 6-12 cm in diameter; Flowers bisexual, densely growing, 6 perianth segments, strip-shaped, 2.5mm long and 1 mm wide; Stamens 6, slightly longer than perianth, filaments flat, anthers pale yellow; Ovary is long and cylindrical, 3mm long and 1.2mm in diameter, with conical top, short style and many ovules. Berry is red, oblong and has 1-4 seeds. The flowering period is from June to September, and the fruiting period is from August to October.
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