Grass-leaf sweet flag

Dull, foggy thinking with a greasy white tongue coat and a heavy chest, where the spirit seems wrapped in phlegm

Post-stroke or post-seizure confusion with excess salivation and a thick tongue coat

Ringing ears or muffled hearing that worsens after rich food, with nausea and a sticky mouth

Overview. Acorus gramineus is a small evergreen sweet flag of the family Acoraceae, growing in wet rocky ground along streams from the Himalaya through China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. The aromatic rhizome is the medicine, and in Chinese medicine it is the shi chang pu of the pharmacopoeia, the plant that opens the sensory orifices and clears phlegm from the Heart. It is a much smaller and less asarone-heavy plant than the Eurasian calamus, Acorus calamus, but it shares the same chemistry and the same cautions. Plants of the World Online treats Acorus tatarinowii, the name used in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, within Acorus gramineus.

Clinical Notes. Reach for shi chang pu when the picture is phlegm-damp obscuring clear thought: the patient is foggy, forgetful, speaks slowly, has a thick greasy tongue coat, and often has a heavy chest or poor appetite.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: acrid, bitter, aromatic. Channels: Heart, Stomach, Liver. Actions: Opens the orifices and dispels phlegm that clouds the Heart; Quiets the spirit and sharpens the senses; Transforms dampness and harmonizes the middle burner; Dispels wind-damp and unblocks the channels.