This aquatic plant grows by ponds, lakes, marshes and the banks of quiet waters. The rhizomes out of which numerous sword shaped leaves shoot up to 1 meter high, creep horizontally through the mud at water's edge. The flat scape carries in its middle a cone-shaped, greenish to brownish yellow spadix. The root, the thickness of a thumb and up to 1 meter long, has a pungent, bitter taste when fresh. When dried the taste is milder. The roots are gathered in early spring or late autumn.

DIRECTIONS:

Infusion: The Calamus root tea is only prepared as a cold-infusion. A level teaspoon of Calamus roots is soaked in 1/4 litre of cold water overnight, lightly warmed in the morning and strained. Before using, warm the tea in a waterbath.

Fresh juice: Fresh roots are cleaned thoroughly and, still wet, put in a juice extractor.

Full bath: About 200 gm. of Calamus roots are soaked in 5 litres of cold water overnight, brought to the boil the next day, allowed to infuse and added to the bath water (see General Information "full bath").