What it is:
This herb is therhizome of Acorus gramineus Soland(family Araceae) which mainly grows in Sichuan, Zhejiangand Jiangsu provinces.It is dug in autumn and winter, washed clean after removal of the hairy rootlets,dried in sunlight for use, or used fresh.

Property:
Pungent in flavour,warm in property, acting on the heart and stomach channels.

Effects:
Inducingresuscitation, tran-quilizing the mind, resolving dampness and regulating the functions of the stomach.

Used for:
1. For the treat-ment of loss of con-sciousness and confusion of the mind due to mental disturbance by path-ogenic dampness in the course of febrile disease, it is often used with curcuma root , pinellia tuber and other herbs. Its powder can be used in the treatment of depressive psychosisand dementia, takenwith the broth of pig's heart.

2. For palpita-tion, insomnia, am-nesia and tinnitusdue to insufficiencyof the heart-qi, it is often used togetherwith polygala root , poria, ginseng and dragon's tooth, as in Sedative Bolus(Anshen Dingzhi Wan).

3. For treating oppressed feeling inthe chest, abdominaldistension, anorexiaand poor appetite due to retention of dampness in the spleen and stomach, it is used with tangerine peel,magnolia bark and pinellia tuber.

Dosage and admi-nistration: 5-10g, decocted in water for an oral dose.