Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ACORUS GRAMINEUS
SOLAND AITON
Phylum: Magnoliopsida
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Acorales
Family: Acoraceae
Common name: Japanese sweat lag
Distribution: Eastern Asia, China, Japan, India
Habitat: Wetlands, shallow waters, edges of ponds and streams
Description: It is a fully or partly submerged perennial shrub with long, nar-
row, and slightly curved golden yellow leaves, small yellow hermaphroditic
lowers, reddish leshy fruits, and leshy rhizome. It grows to a maximum
height of 30 cm only.
Compounds and activities: Bioactive compounds isolated from the rhizome
extracts of this species include asarones, 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(E-3′-methyl
oxiranyl) benzene, 1,2,4-trimethoxy-5-(Z-1-propenyl)benzene, 1,2,4-
trimethoxy-5-(E-3′-methoxyiranyl) benzene ligraminols A-E, and two new
8-O-4′-neolignans, viz., surinamensinols A and B and acoromol. Among
them, surinamensinols A and B showed moderate antiproliferative activi-
ties against A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15 cell lines with IC
50
values in the range of 4.17-26.18 µm (Kim et al., 2012). Ligraminols A-E
have been found to be cytotoxic against human cancer cell lines. Asarone
has antiepileptic and antibacterial activities. The root extracts of this
plant have antirheumatic, antihelmintic, antiperiodic, antispasmodic, seda-
tive, and vermifuge properties besides treating diarrhea, cough, bronchial
asthma, and neurasthenia (nerve weakness).
