Morphology,microscpy,habitat,distribution,chemical constituent with pharmacological activity of plant acorous calamus (bojho)

1. Shailendra shah
Department of pharmaceutical science,
Nobel college
Pokhara University

2.  Introduction
 Cultivation and Collection
 Microscopic characters
 Macroscopic characters

3. Taxonomical Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Acorales
Family : Acoraceae
Genus : Acorus
Species: A. calamus
Common name : Bojho
Fig : Bojho
Source: www.google.com

4.  Description: It is a herbaceous perennial with
aromatic rhizomes, 30- 100 cm tall. It consists of tufts
of basal leaves that rise from a spreading rhizome, flat,
linear, distinct midrib, wavy margin, spathe elongated
similar in shape to the leaves; flowers small, bisexual,
yellowish, condensed on a cylindrical spadix; fruit berry.
 Flowering : April to June
 Fruiting : June to July

5. The dried rhizomes of the plant are used. It
contains not less than 1.5% of volatile oil

6. Habitat
 Marshy land, on the bank of river and ponds, edges of
swamps, moist places.
Distribution :
Today Calamus is found all over the world. On the banks of
swamps, streams or ponds of North America, Europe and
Asia.
 Sub-tropical to temperate zones (1200-2700). In case of
Nepal, 200- 2300m in wet and marshy places.

7.  Bojho is propagated through rhizomes. Rhizomes obtained
from earlier plants are kept preserved in the soil and
constantly kept in moist.
 After emergence the rhizomes are cut into small pieces
and are planted.
 Sprouted rhizome pieces are planted at a spacing of
30*30 cm and depth of 4 cm inthe month of July- August.
 The best time for planting is the second fortnight of June.
Around 1,11,000 plants can be planted per hectare.

8. • As the growth rate is very fast the
sprouts are visible on the second
day of planting.
• After 6-8 months, in December, the
lower leaves turn yellow and dry
indicating their maturity.
• The field should be partially dried
only leaving sufficient moisture for
uprooting the plant .
• In case of large scale cultivation
rhizomes may be removed by
passing the plough.

9. • Color - Rhizomes are brown in color
• Odor - Characteristic and aromatic
• Taste - Bitter, pungent and disagreeable
• Size - 5 to 15 cm in length and 1 to 2 cm in thickness.
• Shape - The rhizomes are cylindrical and branched. They
are somewhat shrunken and with deep longitudinal
wrinkles. The leaf scars more prominent on upper surface
and encircle the rhizomes. The under surface of rhizomes
bear very small, but raised circular root scars. The lateral
branching is occasional. The facture is short

10. Rhizome:
•A. calamus is a
perennial plant with
creeping and extensively
branched, aromatic
rhizome, cylindrical, up to
2.5 cm thick, purplish-
brown to light brown
externally and white
internally.
•At the rhizome forming,
perennial that can grow
to 2 meters resembling
an iris.
Fig: Rhizome of bojho
Source: www.google.com

11. Leaves:
 The leaves are thick, erect and
are very similar in appearance to
the iris but edges are crimped.
It has a single prominent mid
vein and then on both sides
slightly raised secondary veins
and many, fine tertiary veins.
The leaves are between 0.7 and
1.7 cm wide. The leaves are free,
alternate, green and wavy.1-3 in
seeded having a thin testa which
is cylindrical in shape and green
in colour.
Fig: Leaves of bojho
Source: www.google.com

12. Flower:
The flower is very rarely grown in
this plant if grown than it is 3- 8cm
long, cylindrical in shape, greenish
brown in color and covered with
the multitude of rounded spikes.
 The flowers are small, sessile and
densely packed and 5-10 cm of
spadix.
 Flowering occurs from early to late
summer depending on the latitude,
grows wild in marshy places up to
2000 m altitude in the Himalayas.
Fig: Flower of bojho
Source: www.google.com

13. Root:
• It consists of long
creeping roots which
spread out just below the
surface of the soil.
Fruit:
•The fruits are small and
berry like c-diglucoside;
chemical constituents vary
in ecotypes and containing
few seeds.
•Flowering and Fruiting
occurs in July.
Fig: Root of bojho
Source: www.google.com
Ref: Shetty and Shruthi (2015)

14. Fig. Calamus Rhizome. Transverse section, x 280; A) fragment of primary cortex; B)
fragment of central cylinder; 1) Fibers, 2) crystals of calcium oxalate; 3) secretion
sacs containing volatile oil; 4) collateral fibrovascular bundle; 5) phloem, 6) xylem, 7)
intercellular-air-spaces; 8) concentric fibrovascular bundle of phlocentric type .
Microscopic characters

15.  The transverse section of the unpeeled acorus rhizome
shows rarely cork followed by the cortex.
 The large stele or centre cylinder is seperated by
endodermis.
 The cells of the endodermis possess thin walls and
Casparyan spots.
 The outer region of the cortex consists of collenchyma
cells while the inner region of the cortex and all of the
pith consist of chains of rounded parenchyma cells
surrounding large intercellular-air-spaces.
 A number of concentric bundles with fibers occur
scattered in the cortex.

16.  Most of the parenchyma cells contain small, spheroidal
starch grains, but within each chain of these cells
spheroidal secretion sacs with suberized walls and
yellowish-orange volatile oil content are present.
 Phlocentric vascular bundles without fibers are
scattered throughout the stele and occur more
numerously just beneath the endodermis, where they
appear crowded.
Ref: http://pharmacognosy.org.ua/index.files/Page13419.htm

17. Activity Active
compound or
extract
References
ANTIFUNGAL
• Candida albicans, Cryptococcus
neoformans, Microsporum gypseum
• Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T.
rubrum
Essential oil,
β-asarone
Rajput and Karuppayil
(2013), Thirach et al. (2003)
• Aspergillus oryzae, A. nidulans, A.
fumigates, Penicillum aculactum,
Phomopsis Destuctum
Essential oil Chantawannakul et al.
(2005)
ANTIBACTERIAL
• Aeromonas hydrophila Essential oil, α-
asarone, β-
asarone
Bhuvaneswari and
Balasundaram (2006)
• Staphylococcus aureus,E. coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
• Klebsiella pneumoniae
Essential oil Chowdhury et al. (1993),
Parekh et al. (2006)
Rajendhran et al. (1998)

18. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY/
IMMUNOMODULATORY
• Anti-inflammatory activity in human
keratinocytes
Leaf extract Kim et al. (2009)
• Immunomodulatory activity in
human PBMCs
Ethanolic extract Mehrotra et al.(2010)
ANTIOXIDATIVE/ PROTECTIVE
EFFECT
• Antioxidant and nephroprotective
effect in male albino rats
Ethanolic extract Palani et al. (2010)
• Antioxidant activity in rats brain Α-asarone, ethyl acetate
and methanolic extract
Manikandan et al.
(2005)
• Neuroprotective effect in ischemic
rats
Ethyl acetate extract
Hydroalcholic extract,α and
β- asarone
Acuna et al. (2002)
Shukla et al. (2006)
HYPOLIPIDEMIC
• Decreased cholesterol and
triglyceride levels in rats
Saponins from
hydroalcholic extract
Parab and Mengi
(2002)
• Inhibited cholesterol synthesis in rat
liver
Rhizome extract D’Souza et al. (2003)
• Inhibited hepatic HMG-CoA α-asarone

19. ANTICONVULSANT/
ANTISPASMODIC
• Anticonvulsant action in amygdale
kindles rats
Ethanolic extract Harza et al. (2005)
• Anticonvulsant activity in mice models Methanolic
extract, α-
asarone
Jayaraman et al. (2010),
Sharma et al. (1961)
• Antispasmolytic activity in rabbit Crude extract Shoba and Thomas et al.
(2001)
ANTIDIABETIC
• Exhibited antidiabetic effect bg
enhancing differentiation in adipocytes
of mouse
Ethanolic extract Wu et al. (2009)
• Suppress blood glucose levels in
normal mice
Calamus extract Si et al. (2010)
CARDIAC DEPRESSANT/
ANTIASTHMATIC
• Airway relaxant activity Crude extract Jabbar and Hassan (2010),
Shaha anda Gilani (2010)
• Antiasthamatic activity Rhizome extract Rajasekhran and Srivastava
(1977), Chandra (1980)

20. CARDIOVASCULAR RELATED
ACTIVITY
• Lowers blood pressure in cats,
dogs and rabbits
Essential oil Shaha and Gilani
(2010), Dandiya and
Cullumbine (1959)
ANTICANCER
• Anti-carcinogenic activity in
human carcinoma cells
α-asarone Hu and Ji (1986)
• Anti-proliferitive activity in mice Rhizome extract Gaidhani et al.
(2009), Chaitali et
al. (2010)
• Anti-cancer activity against
human cancer cells
Epieudesmin and galgravin
from methanolic extract
Balakumbahan et al.
(2010)
• Anticancer activity in human
cancer cells
β-asarone from calamus oil Palani et al. (2010)
• Antimitogenic activity in mouse
an human cell lines
Lectins from rhizome Bains et al. (2005)
• Anticellular activity in human
cancer cells
Ethanolic extract Mehrotra et al.
(2003)

21. 1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266372059
_Acorus_calamus_An_overview (accessed on June 7,
2018)
2. http://pharmacognosy.org.ua/index.files/Page13419.ht
m (accessed on June 26, 2018)
3. Shetty G Rand Shruthi A M A Review on Pharmacology
of Acorus calamus- an Endangered Medicinal Plant.
International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences
(2015). 605 - 621