About Lesson
Bojho
- Scientific name: Acorus calamus L.
- English name: Sweet myrtle or Sweet cane
a. Climate and soil:
- Tropical, Subtropical and temperate climate.
- Average annual rainfall 100 – 300cm.
- Optimum temperature 20-25 0
- Clayey to clayey – loam.
- It can be grown in light alluvial soils of river banks.
- Soil PH 4.5 to 7.2
b. Cultivation:
- 2-3 ploughings, 1-2 harrowing and leveling.
- Allow to flow water in the field and puddle the field.
- Sowing season:- March -April – May.
- Spacing:-30 x 30cm or 40 x 25cm.
- Manures and Fertilizers:- 15 -25 tons of FYM / compost / ha.
- 40:20:10 kg of NPK/ha. N in 2 splits 30 and 60 DAP
- Irrigation: – the depth of water is the fields is raised to 5- 10cm till about a month before harvest.
- Insect pests: Mealy bug – Spray 0.15 oxydereton methyl.
c. Harvesting:
- After about a year, the crop is ready for harvesting.
- They are washed, cut into 6 to 10cm long pieces and rubbed with sand to remove the leafy scales and fibrous.
- Dried at room at 35 degree Celsius
- The dried material is put into sacs or gunny bags.
- Yield:- 3 to 4.5 tons of dry rhizomes/ ha under favorable condition.
d. Chemical constituent:
- ‘Beta – Asarone or Acorin (75-80%).
- Besides other constituents are calamene, Calamenol, Calamenene, Choline, Myrcene, Acorones. acoragermacron, caryophyllene, humulene, eugenol methyl ester.
- Actions:-antiseptic, bactericidal, carminative, expectorant, hypertensive, insecticide, spasmolytic, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge.
e. Uses:
- colic, cough and colds, asthma, bronchitis, nervous complaints
- It contains tannins useful in chronic diarrhea and dysentery.
- The powdered roots are used as vermifuge.
- Calamus oil is extensively used in cosmetics and perfumery work
- The dried rhizome is used in piles, infection, uterine, hysteria disorder, hysteria, loss of memory, heart disease and epilepsy.
- It promotes memory longevity and good voice.
- The oil has germicidal properties and is also used in insecticidal formulation.
- The oil of calamus is reported to have carcinogenic properties so they are banned from use in foods.
- The leaves and rhizomes are used to control lice.
- The essential oil is used in flavouring liquors, gin, vinegar, snuff and various other preparations (incense sticks, dhoops and hawen samagries).