The healing power of calamus
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Calamus is a plant with edible young leaves and roots. In the Netherlands it prefers to grow along the waterfront. Calamus originates from South Asia, it is native to Mongolia and India. In the 16th century, Clusius introduced the calamus plant to Europe. Clusius started to grow the plant in gardens in Leiden and Vienna. For climate reasons, calamus does not always bloom in the Netherlands and Belgium; it multiplies by spreading the roots.
Ancient Calm
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3700 BC, the Chinese emperor Chen-Nong called calamus the "extender of life." In China it was mainly used for digestion. This plant strengthens the stomach, according to Chinese medicine from nearly 6,000 years ago. In ancient Egypt, calamus was called "holy dew." In Ancient Greece
Eating the leaves, young stems, flowers and roots
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The calamus leaf can be used in the kitchen. The leaves are very tasty and can spice up the food. They were used to flavor custard. The blooms are edible and eaten as a healthy sweet. The pith of a young calamus stem can be eaten in a salad. However, the calamus root is most commonly eaten. The root is dried and can then be used as a spice in the food to replace ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon
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11 minMain dishpeanut oil, tofu stir-fry cubes finely seasoned, stir fry sauce sweet and sour, thick noodles, carrot julienne, beetroot julienne, yellow bell pepper, watercress,rainbow salad with tofu -
45 minMain dishRed cabbage, mild olive oil, quinoa plus, forest outing, lemon, sesame oil, soy sauce less salt, Bio Today tahini white in pot, tap water,grilled red cabbage with quinoa salad -
30 minDessertBrie, Roquefort, port salut, gruyere, Camembert, walnut, garlic, thyme, honey, grape, baguette, Red onion, red grape, raisins, Red wine, Red wine vinegar, Brown sugar,generous cheese plate with onion marmalade -
30 minDessertFull Milk, whipped cream, macaroon, custard powder, vanilla sugar, sugar, protein, amaretto, almond liqueur, basic recipe cooking pears,macaroon pastry with casserole
Good for digestion
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Calamus stimulates appetite, promotes the formation of gastric juices and stimulates salivation. Pancreatic juices or digestive-stimulating juice from the pancreas are increased in quantity by using this plant as a medicine. Therefore it can be used as a medicine against diseases related to digestion such as: anorexia indigestion
Consult the herbalist
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If you want to use calamus as a medicine, it is best to consult a herbalist. Calm extracts and medicines in the form of mother tinctures, powders and capsules should only be taken on prescription by authorized persons. A doctor or herbalist can advise you on this. All medicinal effects of calamus mentioned in this article are based on scientific research and come from Geert Verhelst's Great Handbook of Medicinal Plants, a standard work in the field of healing plants. The book is widely used in phytotherapy.