Everwilde Farms - 400 Sweet Flag Native Wildflower Seeds - Gold Vault Jumbo Seed Packet

Opinions differ on the origins of Sweet Flag, also known as Calamus, meaning “reed”. Records show its early presence in India, and it later spread to Europe along trade routes. Because it also thrived in early North America and was a traditional part of Native American medicine, Sweet Flag may also be native to the United States. Medicinal uses included treatments for digestive problems and bronchial complaints, but the plant is no longer widely used internally because of FDA research that showed it to be a possible carcinogen. In medieval churches and palaces, its sweet, spicy fragrance made it a popular “strewing” herb for freshening the air. The essential oil is often included in perfumes and sachets, and also used in aromatherapy; calamus oil is one of the ingredients in an ancient recipe for anointing oil found in the Bible. The roots make a natural insect repellent, while the blade-like foliage has also been used as for thatching English cottages. Sweet Flag was a favorite of writers Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman; Whitman composed a series of “Calamus” poems, which he included in his famous poetry collection “Leaves of Grass.”