Learn Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with Rahul
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).