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In China, species in the genus Acorus are used for many different purposes, viz., in traditional medicine, for rituals, and as ornamental plants. Acorus calamus (sweet flag) has been a symbolic plant in Chinese culture for many centuries and is used as a ceremonial object in festivals throughout the country. For other Acorus species in China, ethno...
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Context 1
... on this day would be threatened by evil or illness. Officials would never be promoted if they began their new positions on May 5th. People would be weak if they lived in houses built on this day [23,24]. Because the leaf of A. calamus is similar in shape to a sword, people believe that the leaves can kill the evil spirits and keep people healthy (Fig. ...
Citations
... triqueter had a wider range in NE China. Acorus is no less important in Chinese culture and medicine than it is in India (Shu & al., 2018). As soon as Acorus has strong ethnobotanical uses for the aboriginal population of North America (Motley, 1994;Thompson, 1995), apparently it has been used by peoples of north-east Asia since ancient times, too. ...
Commonly considered bispecific, Acorus is one of the most phylogenetically isolated angiosperm genera that forms the order Acorales sister to the rest of the monocots. The Acorus calamus group is widely distributed in the Holarctic regions of Eurasia and America and has strong medicinal and other practical uses since prehistoric times. Earlier studies interpreted native diploids and invasive triploids occurring in North America as two species that differed in morphology and distribution ranges. In contrast, diploids, triploids, and tetraploids occurring in Eurasia are commonly interpreted as one species because they reportedly cannot be distinguished in collections. We resolve the controversy over taxonomic concepts between Eurasia and America and provide the first detailed multidisciplinary account of Acorus in temperate Asia. We used plastid and nuclear markers, leaf anatomy, seed micromorphology, pollen stainability, flow cytometry, and direct chromosome counts. Diploids and tetraploids show stable molecular and micromorphological differences. Triploids are their sterile hybrids, with the plastid genome inherited from the diploid parent. Diploids of America and Asia tend to differ in leaf characters. Coadaptative coexistence with pollinating beetles Platamartus jakowlewi and Sibirhelus corpulentus (Kateretidae) is conserved between diploids and tetraploids and over a distance of 4700 km between Japan and Western Siberia. Diploids are self-compatible and can set seeds in the absence of kateretid beetles. Tetraploids are self-incompatible and/or cannot set seeds in the absence of Platamartus and Sibirhelus. Diploids (A. americanus) and tetraploids (A. verus) are two biological species; the former has two subspecies. Acorus calamus should be restricted to triploids; it apparently first evolved in temperate Asia. Diploids mostly occur in much cooler climates than triploids and tetraploids. Accessions of A. verus and A. calamus from tropical Asia are apparently derived from ancient introductions. Our data provide a new framework for the pharmacological use of Acorus.
... This plant is also called Vacha in Sanskrit (Sharma et al., 2020). Acorus is widely used in traditional medicine in Ayurvedic, Indian (Babar et al., 2020), China (Shu et al., 2018), Iran (Gholipour et al., 2021) and Indonesia (Widyastuti et al., 2019). One hundred and forty-five compounds have been isolated and identified from this plant, including phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenoids as well as monoterpenes (Sharma et al., 2020). ...
Modification of medium composition is a critical step in tissue culture to find out the best medium formulation for micropropagation. Furthermore, reduction of some nutrients as well as sugar and plant growth regulator concentrations are an effort often done to make the production of seedlings more economic. The aim of the study was to modify media composition by reduction of macronutrients and sugar concentrations in combination with BAP for micropropagation of Acorus calamus. Experiments of Calamus micropropagation was established by culturing single shoots to MS medium with 100, 50, 33.3 and 25% macronutrients added with sugar at 30, 20, and 10 g/l in combination with 0, 0.5, and 1 mg/l BAP. Each medium treatment had nine replicates. Growth of culture was determined every week until 6 weeks of culture. Growth variable recorded was shoots numbers, leaf length, leaf numbers and root numbers. At six weeks of culture, chlorophyll content was also observed. The results showed that reduction of macronutrients and sugar did not influence shoot and leaf numbers in MS medium but required 0.5-1 mg/l BAP. Rooting is best in medium with no addition of BAP. Chlorophyll content decreased in the medium containing BAP in all reduced macronutrients and sugar concentrations. All plantlets survived in the field. Reduction of macronutrients and sugar can be applied for Calamus shoot culture. Cytokinin BAP is critical for shoot growth but this could be omitted for rooting. Therefore, this finding offered more choices in micropropagation of Calamus with low-cost production.
... The basal monocot genus Acorus comprises essential oil-producing plants native to Asia and North America [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and is widely used in traditional medicine in various countries, including India [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Acorus calamus sensu lato (sweet flag) is a polyploid complex where the essential oil composition depends on the ploidy level [1,[17][18][19][20][21]. ...
The basal monocot genus Acorus comprises essential oil-producing plants widely used in traditional medicine in various countries, including India. Acorus calamus sensu lato is a polyploid complex where the essential oil composition, to some extent, depends on the ploidy level. The literature recognizes diploids (in temperate Asia and North America), triploids (Asian in origin, naturalized elsewhere) and tetraploids (temperate to tropical Asia) at the rank of varieties of A. calamus. We show that the current use of the name A. calamus var. angustatus for the tetraploids is not properly justified. The earliest name based on the Asian material is A. calamus var. verus published in 1753 by Linnaeus. We justify the use of the Linnaean variety for tetraploids by selecting an epitype based on the material cultivated in Peninsular India, for which direct chromosome counts are provided. The name A. verus is available if the tetraploid cytotype is recognized at the species rank. We support earlier data on the importance of leaf anatomy for cytotype diagnostics in Acorus, but also show the limitations of the use of this approach. The growth pattern of the tropical Indian tetraploid material is discussed, and the evergreen nature of the accession studied here is documented. The exact chromosome number of the tetraploid Acorus requires further clarification. All metaphase plates examined here showed at least 44 chromosomes, but plates apparently showing more than 44 chromosomes were found as well. They may be explained by technical difficulties in counting chromosomes in Acorus. Alternatively, our data may indicate the occurrence of aneuploid mixoploidy.
... There is a consensus in the literature that A. triqueter, A. nilaghirensis, and A. griffithii belong to the A. calamus group [11,13,33]. Our earlier study disentangled controversies related to A. tatarinowii and revealed that despite the widespread erroneous use of this species name for a member of the A. gramineus group [23,24,[27][28][29][30]38], its original description provided by Schott was based on material belonging to the A. calamus group [31]. ...
... Many subsequent treatments [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] admitted only two species of Acorus, namely, A. calamus L. and A. gramineus Sol. ex Aiton, both described long before Schott in the 18th century [15,16], though this two-species taxonomic system has not been fully established because some experts accepted further species in the A. calamus group [17][18][19][20][21][22] or in the A. gramineus group [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Taxonomists that adhere to narrow species concepts may consider accepting at least some of Schott's species, but correct interpretation of his species names requires plenty of effort [31]. ...
Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (1794-1865) was one of the pioneering researchers in the taxonomy of the species-rich monocot family Araceae. He described numerous new plant species in various genera, including Acorus, which is currently segregated as a monogeneric family and order occupying a position sister to the rest of the monocots. While describing his new species of Acorus, Schott mostly used characters that are currently considered of low, if any, taxonomic value. His descriptions lack some key characters including, for obvious reasons, chromosome numbers. Therefore, Schott's species concepts cannot be properly interpreted according to the current understanding of the taxonomic diversity of Acorus, even though his species names must be examined for implementation of the principle of nomenclatural priority. The only way of resolving the taxonomic identity of Schott's species names is through the identification of type specimens among historical herbarium collections, by inferring taxonomically significant characters that are missing in Schott's descriptions. On the basis of herbarium collections of the Komarov Botanical Institute, St. Petersburg (LE), we were able to infer ploidy levels of the materials used by Schott to describe Acorus triqueter (diploid, Siberia), A. tatarinowii (tetraploid, China), A. nilaghirensis (tetraploid, India), A. griffithii (tetraploid, Bhutan), and A. commutatus (tetraploid, Bhutan). Leaf anatomy and pollen stainability were used as cytotype markers. All five species belong to the polymorphic Acorus calamus complex that comprises important medicinal plants. Detailed historical and nomenclatural analyses of Schott's species names and herbarium collections are provided.
... For example, in China, plant species from the Acorus genus (e.g. Acorus calamus, A. macrospadiceus, and A. gramineus) are popularly used in various utilization such as traditional medicine, rituals, spices, foods, and ornamental plants (Shu et al. 2018). Meanwhile, in the construction and household utilities, Arecaceae and Poaceae are the most used family in this category, with Awi (Gigantochloa sp.) having the highest use-value. ...
The community living around the Cikaniki Area of Gunung Halimun Salak National Park (CA-GHSNP) uses various plants to fulfill their needs. Their habits are related to indigenous knowledge of using plants as food, medicine, construction, and household utilities, which dynamic societal changes have not displaced. This study aimed to inventory and update potential plants used as food, medicine, construction, and household utilities by local communities in the Cikaniki area, and measure and analyze their cultural and ethnobotanical value. This study objected to five hamlets in the Cikaniki at Malasari Village, Nanggung District, Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The quantitative analysis was calculated based on the Informant Consensus Factor, Fidelity Level, and Use Value. We analyzed the qualitative data based on the data collection through observation, interviews, and documentation from informants and respondents in five hamlets. The study recorded 199 plant species from 75 families used by the community of CA-GHSNP. The most utilized species in Cikaniki were Staurogyne elongata, Caryota mitis, Blumea balsamifera, Castanopsis argentea, Pilea melastomoides, and Piper betle. There are 72 species of plants used as food, 122 species for medicinal purposes, and 50 species of plants used for construction and household utilities. The potential plant species in the CA-GHSNP, their utilization categories, and recommendation for conservation strategy are discussed.
... On this basis, they have created colorful ethnomedicines (Pei, 2001). However, with the infiltration of mainstream cultures, the destruction of the natural environment, and the expansion of urbanization, traditional medicinal knowledge is facing the danger of assimilation and loss (Luo et al., 2018). Therefore, traditional knowledge of medicinal plants needs to be recorded for its protection without any further delays (Cox, 2000;Yao et al., 2021;Huang et al., 2022). ...
... As an important cultural species, Acorus calamus (chang pu in Chinese) is often used on the Dragon Boat Festival (Shu et al., 2018). During the Dragon Boat Festival, people often hang A. calamus and Artemisia argyi (ai in Chinese) together on the front door to protect family members from evil. ...
... During the Dragon Boat Festival, people often hang A. calamus and Artemisia argyi (ai in Chinese) together on the front door to protect family members from evil. Different ethnic groups use A. calamus for different purposes, such as cleaning water, repelling mosquitoes and wrapping zongzi (Shu et al., 2018;Lin et al., 2019). The majority of the Dulong will grow A. calamus in their home gardens to get a ready sufficiently of the medicine, and for ornamental and cultural value. ...
The Dulong, an ethnic group living in the isolated Northwest Yunnan of Southwest China, have directly used a wide of plants to serve their needs and have accumulated rich traditional knowledge about medicinal plants over years. Unfortunately, little has been reported about the medicinal plants used by the Dulong people. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews, guided field trips, and quantitative analysis. Prior informed consent was obtained before each interview. The surveys allowed for the collection of sociodemographic data and traditional knowledge about medicinal plants and their uses. This study used relative frequency of citation (RFC) to identify the most culturally significant medicinal plants and used informant consensus factor (FIC) to evaluate agreement among informants. A total of 105 medicinal plant species belonging to 69 families were recorded. Amongst these 69 families, Asteraceae (8 species), Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Rosaceae (4 species each) were the dominant families. The whole plants were the most frequently used part in the preparation of medicines. The most common preparation method was decoction and the most frequent application route was oral administration. Coptis teeta (0.15), Acorus calamus (0.12), Ophiocordyceps sinensis (0.11), Tanacetum tatsienense var. tanacetopsis (0.11), and Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis (0.08) were shown to be the most useful plants as indicated by their relatively high RFC values. Among the usage types of medicinal plants, the highest FIC values were recorded for the circulatory system (FIC = 0.91), the immune system (FIC = 0.89), and the nervous system (FIC = 0.85). Furthermore, sixty-two medicinal plants utilized by the Dulong for medicinal purposes also have dietary use. Traditional knowledge associated with medicinal plants has been seriously threatened in recent decades. In the future, modern approaches should be used to demystify traditional medicine. However, significant measures need to be taken to protect from loss the important traditional knowledge gained by the Dulong through their experience and inheritance. A collective effort should be made to promote and conserve the important traditional medicinal knowledge and outline a plan for sustainable use of medicinal plants and improve local economic development under the premise of protection.
... A. calamus, either alone or in combination with other herbs, has been extensively cultivated in various tropical and subtropical regions worldwide [32,34,35] and widely used as a traditional medicine for centuries [32]. A. calamus contains several phytoconstituents, including alkaloids, volatile oils, tannins, glycosides (xanthone), essential oils, flavonoids, monoterpenes, steroids, lignin, sesquiterpenes, saponins, mucilage, and polyphenolic compounds [36,37]. In the Ayurvedic system, A. calamus is extensively used to treat numerous inflammatory disorders [36,[38][39][40], and in China, traditional practitioners prescribe A. calamus to treat constipation, digestive problems, and other health issues [41]. A. calamus and its primary bioactive constituents have also been found to reduce stress-induced immunosuppression in rats, resulting in improved immune function [42]. ...
Neurological disorders are important causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. The increasing prevalence of neurological disorders, associated with an aging population, has intensified the societal burden associated with these diseases, for which no effective treatment strategies currently exist. Therefore, the identification and development of novel therapeutic approaches, able to halt or reverse neuronal loss by targeting the underlying causal factors that lead to neurodegeneration and neuronal cell death, are urgently necessary. Plants and other natural products have been explored as sources of safe, naturally occurring secondary metabolites with potential neuroprotective properties. The secondary metabolites α- and β-asarone can be found in high levels in the rhizomes of the medicinal plant Acorus calamus (L.). α- and β-asarone exhibit multiple pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current research on the therapeutic potential of α- and β-asarone in the treatment of neurological disorders, particularly neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), as well as cerebral ischemic disease, and epilepsy. Current research indicates that α- and β-asarone exert neuroprotective effects by mitigating oxidative stress, abnormal protein accumulation, neuroinflammation, neurotrophic factor deficit, and promoting neuronal cell survival, as well as activating various neuroprotective signalling pathways. Although the beneficial effects exerted by α- and β-asarone have been demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo animal studies, additional research is required to translate laboratory results into safe and effective therapies for patients with AD, PD, and other neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
... Acorus calamus is widely used by the Miao not only as a medicinal herb, but also it is used symbolically to ward off evil spirits by displaying it on doors or using it in a medicinal bath. The Miao healers often use the rhizomes of Acorus calamus to treat aphasia, traumas, diarrhea, snake bites, and stomach ache [38]. Some local Miao people soak their feet daily in hot water baths infused with Acorus calamus rhizomes to drive the cold away, balance yin and yang, and boost their immunity. ...
Background
Marketplaces reflect not only the commerce of an area, but also its culture. In Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture with Kaili as its capital, Guizhou Province, China, traditional medicine is thriving in both rural and urban areas. The local people rely extensively on plants for traditional medicines, and these are commonly sold in local specialized markets. The Kaili medicinal market is the biggest in the prefecture. However, ethnobotanical study on herbal plants traded in the traditional market in Kaili has not been performed. The aims of this study are: (1) to document medicinal plants traded in the Kaili traditional market and the associated traditional knowledge; and (2) to analyze the level of agreement among vendors in the purported uses of medicinal plants by using informant consensus (FIC) and the fidelity level (FL).
Methods
Market surveys were conducted in 2014–2019 to collect information about medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge. Information including vernacular names, preparation methods, and plant uses was obtained by interviewing 116 vendors of herbal plants. Specimens of fresh and dried herbs, collected as vouchers, were identified by the authors and other botanists at the Minzu University of China, and deposited in the herbarium at Minzu University of China. The level of agreement among information provided by different vendors was assessed using the FIC, and the percentage of vendors claiming the use of a certain medicinal plant for the same indication was assessed with the FL.
Results
The Miao people comprise 53.4% of all informants in this study of medicinal plants. In total, 237 medicinal plant species traded in the Kaili traditional market were recorded. They belong to 219 genera and 107 families. These plants have been categorized into their purported treatments for 20 medical conditions. The inflammation category showed the highest FIC value of 0.95, showing the best agreement among market vendors claiming its usefulness to treat this condition. The FL index helped to identify 15 culturally important medicinal plant species based on the reported uses by 20 or more vendors in the market. Three medicinal plant species, Eleutherococcus gracilistylus, Sargentodoxa cuneata , and Stephania cepharantha , had an FL > 90%, being used to treat sprains/traumas, rheumatism, and heat/toxins.
Conclusions
The medicinal plants sold in the Kaili market are highly diverse and have unique medicinal characteristics. The Miao people often use traditional herbal plants for disease prevention and thereby prioritize the use of medicinal plants in everyday life. The future of this medicinal marketplace, however, is uncertain since few young people (< 30 years old) are vendors or customers. Therefore, it is urgent to conserve traditional ethnomedicinal culture in local communities and pass on the associated traditional knowledge to future generations in this prefecture. And the next step should include further studies on FL > 90% plants’ chemistry, pharmacology, biological activity, and toxicity for potentially developing functional foods or pharmaceutical products.
... Acute ischemia, hypoxia, and metabolic disorders in the myocardial tissues are caused by severe spasms, sudden coronary artery obstruction, low blood pressure, reduced aortic blood supply, change in blood viscosity, valvular disease, and myocardial disease [4,5]. e genus Acorus belongs to the Acoraceae family that is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions, and it includes Acorus tatarinowii (shi chang pu), Acorus calamus L (shui chang pu), Acorus gramineus Aiton (jin xian pu), and Acorus macrospadiceus F. N. Wei (shannai chang pu) species [6,7]. Although Acorus tatarinowii is similar to Acorus calamus L, the former is smaller in terms of morphology, and its leaves lack a midrib. ...
... Although Acorus tatarinowii is similar to Acorus calamus L, the former is smaller in terms of morphology, and its leaves lack a midrib. Moreover, Acorus tatarinowii is more frequently used for medicinal purposes [7], and it is recognized as a traditional aromatic resuscitation medicine that eliminates phlegm, refreshes the mind, nourishes intelligence, dispels dampness, and stimulates appetite [8,9]. e volatile oil of Acorus tatarinowii (VOA) is one of the ingredients responsible for its medicinal properties. ...
Acorus tatarinowii is a traditional aromatic resuscitation drug that can be clinically used to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The volatile oil of Acorus tatarinowii (VOA) possesses important medicinal properties, including protection against acute myocardial ischemia (MI) injury. However, the pharmacodynamic material basis and molecular mechanisms underlying this protective effect remain unclear. Using network pharmacology and animal experiments, we studied the mechanisms and pathways implicated in the activity of VOA against acute MI injury. First, VOA was extracted from three batches of Acorus tatarinowii using steam distillation, and then, its chemical composition was determined by GC-MS. Next, the components-targets and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed using systematic network pharmacology. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were also conducted in order to predict the possible pharmacodynamic mechanisms. Furthermore, animal experiments including ELISAs, histological examinations, and Western blots were performed in order to validate the pharmacological effects of VOA. In total, 33 chemical components were identified in VOA, and ß-asarone was found to be the most abundant component. Based on network pharmacology analysis, the therapeutic effects of VOA against myocardial ischemia might be mediated by signaling pathways involving COX-2, PPAR-α, VEGF, and cAMP. Overall, the obtained results indicate that VOA alleviates the pathological manifestations of isoproterenol-hydrochloride-induced myocardial ischemia in rats, including the decreased SOD (superoxide dismutase) content and increased LDH (lactic dehydrogenase) content. Moreover, the anti-MI effect of VOA might be attributed to the downregulation of the COX-2 protein that inhibits apoptosis, the upregulation of the PPAR-α protein that regulates energy metabolism, and the activation of VEGF and cAMP signaling pathways.
... A. calamus is also cited by other ethnobotanical studies around the world including China [41], India [42], Nepal [43] to treat fever, diarrhea, bronchitis, tumors, skin diseases, and cough treatment [29]. Reported species from Piperaceae has also highly cited in the previous study [11]. ...
The people of Tengger, Indonesia have used plants as traditional medicine for a long time. However, this local knowledge has not been well documented until recently. Our study aims to understand the utilization of plants in traditional medicine by the people of Tengger, who inhabit the Ngadisari village, Sukapura District, Probolinggo Regency, Indonesia. We conducted semi-structured and structured interviews with a total of 52 informants that represented 10% of the total family units in the village. The parameters observed in this study include species use value (SUV), family use value (FUV), plant part use (PPU), and the relative frequency of citation that was calculated based on fidelity level (FL). We successfully identified 30 species belonging to 28 genera and 20 families that have been used as a traditional medicine to treat 20 diseases. We clustered all the diseases into seven distinct categories. Among the recorded plant families, Poaceae and Zingiberaceae were the most abundant. Plant species within those families were used to treat internal medical diseases, respiratory-nose, ear, oral/dental, and throat problems. The plant species with the highest SUV was Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (1.01), whereas the Aloaceae family (0.86) had the highest FUV. Acorus calamus L. (80%) had the highest FL percentage. The leaves were identified as the most used plant part and decoction was the dominant mode of a medicinal preparation. Out of the plants and their uses documented in our study, 26.7% of the medicinal plants and 71.8% of the uses were novel. In conclusion, the diversity of medicinal plant uses in the Ngadisari village could contribute to the development of new plant-based drugs and improve the collective revenue of the local society.
