Pharmacology of Acorus calamus L.

Water soluble dried powder of alcoholic extract of roots and rhizomes of A. calamus L. was used. The in vivo experiments involved strychnine convulsant activity in frogs, spontaneous motor activity and amphetamine hyperactivity in mice, pentobarbitone sleeping-time in rats and local anaesthetic activity in guinea pigs and rabbits. Frog skeletal muscle and heart preparations and rat phrenic nerve diaphragm constituted the in vitro experiments. Plant extracts at 10, 20 mg/kg ip did not afford protection to strychnine (1,5,2.5 mg/kg) induced convulsions and same effect was found on acetylcholine induced contractions of rectus muscle except that it inhibited caffeine citrate contractions in frog. At 1, 10 and 100 micrograms/ml doses, it caused negative iono- and chronotropic effects in frogs. Dosages of 10, 25, 50 mg/kg ip of herbal extract antagonize spontaneous motor activity and also amphetamine induced hyperactivity in mice. It was less potent than chloropromazine, though exerts sedative and tranquilizing action. Local anaesthetic activity was found to be absent at 0.5 and 1% dose levels.