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Acorus gramineus - Sol. ex Aiton.

Grass-leaved Sweet Rush

Author	Sol. ex Aiton.	Botanical references	58, 200
Family	Araceae	Genus	Acorus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Although no records of toxicity have been seen, this species belongs to a family where most of the species are poisonous, at least in the fresh state. The following notes are from the related A. calamus - the fresh root can be poisonous[7]. When using the plant medicinally, the isolated essential oil should not be used[165].
Range	E. Asia - China, Japan, India.
Habitat	Wet places by streams and around ponds in C. and S. Japan[58].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.15m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats

Ground Cover; Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Root - raw or cooked[105, 177]. It should be peeled, finely chopped and soaked in several changes of water first[183]. A stronger and more pleasing taste than A. calamus[2, 183]. The root is also used as a ginger substitute[177]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Anodyne; Antibacterial; Antifungal; Antiperiodic; Antirheumatic; Antispasmodic; Aromatic; Cardiac; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Febrifuge; Parasiticide; Sedative; Stimulant; Stomachic; Tonic; Vermifuge.

The root is antifungal, antibacterial, antiperiodic, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, aromatic, cardiac, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenaggue, febrifuge, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge[4, 7, 9, 21, 61, 147, 165, 176, 178, 218, 238, 240, 279]. It is also powdered and applied to bleeding gums[218, 238]. It is used internally in the treatment of digestive problems - particularly gastralgia and diarrhoea[283], cough, bronchial asthma, neurasthenia, depression, epilepsy etc[176, 238, 283]. Externally, it is used to treat body parasites, dermatosis and haemorrhoids[283]. The root can be harvested at any time of the year, except when the plant is in flower[238]. The root contains an essential oil consisting of asarone and asaryl aldehyde, plus a bitter glucoside acorin[176, 283]. Asarone increases the hypnotic effect of barbiturates and ethanol, lowers blood pressure and is antibacterial against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci and mycobacterium[176]. The whole plant is anodyne, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, digestive, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, sudorific, tonic, vermifuge[218].

Other Uses

Essential; Ground cover; Insecticide; Repellent.

The dried root repels insects[178]. It is probably also insecticidal[178, 240] and is used in Vietnam to kill lice, bugs and fleas[283]. An essential oil is obtained from the plant[240]. A useful ground cover plant, forming a spreading clump[208].

Scented Plants

Root: Dried

The dried root is aromatic and used as a ginger substitute.

Cultivation details

Grows well in shallow water margins of ponds etc[1, 2], though it can also succeeds in drier habitats[56]. Requires a sunny position[200]. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[208, 238]. The cultivar 'Pusillus' can be grown as a submerged aquatic plant[238].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Stand the pot in about 3cm of water. Pot up young seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle, keep them wet by standing the pots in shallow water and overwinter for the first year in a greenhouse or cold frame. Division in spring just before growth starts[1]. Very easy, the plants can be divided at any time in the growing season and can be planted direct into their permanent positions[K].

Cultivars

'Pusillus'

This cultivar succeeds as a submerged aquatic plant[238].

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[56] Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7
Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press 0 ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 0
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[279] Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
An excellent book with terse details about the medicinal uses of the plants with references to scientific trials. All plants are described, illustrated and brief details of habitats given.

[283] Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu Medicinal Plants in Vietnam World Health Organisation 1989 ISBN 92 9061 101 4
An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications.

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