Indian sweet flag

Seeds: 10  / Botanical name: Acorus kalamus

Vigorous medicinal plant with an aromatic fragrance

This vigorous, waterside plant is a true asset to the home and garden in many ways. Sweet flag (Achusa officinalis) fixes nitrogen, thus improving the water quality of ponds. It also boasts a strong, aromatic fragrance and a very high content of essential oils, as well as other valuable constituents. Therefore, it is valued as a medicinal plant, for use in incense, as a spice, in perfumes, teas, and even in liqueurs as a digestive bitter. In traditional Asian medicine, it is primarily used for stomach and intestinal ailments, but it also helps with exhaustion and weakness. For these purposes, the rhizome is usually used, which is harvested from September to October. Due to its diverse applications, the plant has many other names, such as rabbitwort, sweet flag, field flag, German ginger, and spiced sweet flag. The sword-shaped leaves grow up to 120 cm tall. Its reddish-green, approximately 10 cm long, spadix-shaped flowers emerge laterally from the leaves.

Natural habitat: Originally, sweet flag comes from Asia, but was already cultivated in Europe in the 12th century.