Jatila (Acorus calamus) 

Did you know that Jatila, a herbal wild and cultivated plant, known by the scientific name Acorus calamus, distributed throught tropic and subtropics., especially in India and Sri Lanka, though it is native to Europe and North America?

Jatila , a herbal plant, with the botanical name Acorus calamus, While its generic name is the Latin word 'acorus', its suffix is the specific name 'calamus'. It is also known by a variety of names, sweet flag, including cinnamon sedge, flag root, gladdon, myrtle, The herb is a perennial wetland monocot plant, which is distributed throught tropic and subtropics, particualrly in India and Sri Lanka, though it is native to Europe and North America. It is a hardy plant found growing from tropical to subtropical climates both in the wild and in recent years in cultivated conditions. The plant's parts used are leaves, root (rhizome) and stem. In Asia, Sweet flag has been used for at least the last 2000 years. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, in 2013 Acorus calamus was listed as of 'Least Concern'..

Its vernacular names of this flowering plant in India are: Jatila , Jalaja, Bacha, Bhadra, Bhutanashin in Sanskrit : Vacha , Ghoorvacha in HIndi: Athibaje, Baje, Baje gida in Kannada; Bacha in Bengali; Akaraveci, Akkitam, Vashambu in Tamil; Vayampu in Malayalam; Vabi in Kashmiri:; Vadaja, Vasa in Telugu;, In English, its popualr name Sweet Flag. and also known as sway or muskrat root.

Jatila's leaves are erect and flat and sword-like, bright green, rising fan-like from a pinkish base although some bases may range from white to red in color.Its branched, cylindrical, knobby rhizome has the thickness of a human finger and has numerous coarse fibrous roots below it. The exterior is brown and the interior white. Its flower with six petals is Yellowish-green in colour. Its fruit is berry . green, in colour, angular shaped with 3-cells and is, fleshy, containing 1-3 oblong seeds. Calamus leaves and rhizomes contain a volatile oil that gives a characteristic odor and flavor. Its is cultivated in fields which are prepared similar to paddy, with waterlogging and farmyard manura. when the rhizomes are planted.

 In Ayurvedic medicine Jatila or Calamus is an important herb, and is valued as a "rejuvenator" for the brain and nervous system, and as a remedy for digestive disorders though not studied by rigorous clinical research. The dried and powdered rhizome has a spicy flavour and is used as a substitute for ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg for its odor; It is used as herbal medicine in the treatment of cough, fever, bronchitis, depression and other mental disorders, tumors, hemorrhoids, skin diseases, numbness and general debility. Native tribes used it to treat a cough, made a decoction as a carminative and as an infusion for cholic.

Sweet Flag or Jatila' young stalks can be pulled when under 30 cm; the inner stems can be eaten raw. The roots can be washed, peeled, cut into small pieces, boiled, and simmered in syrup to make candy.

This plant is sometimes used as a pond plant in horticulture.The dried and pulverized roots contain a compound which is useful as an insecticide.Its aroma makes calamus essential oil valued in the perfume industry

- Narasipur Char