Calamus Root, Sweet flag, Rat Root

This is a root that my family and I have been harvesting from a local swamp for a few years now.

We chew on a piece of it whenever we have a cold and my grand father chewed it as a pain reliever before he died of a very painful cancer of the ear.

Interestingly enough, it seems that this root was a trade good between the Native Americans before the Europeans arrived in America.

It has a sharp, unpleasant taste, should NOT be brewed into a tea (I attempted this once to my regret), and can be smoked if ground down to a fine enough powder.

It reduces appetite, increases stamina, clears up colds faster and can do some interesting things when smoked.

Maria Treben used this herb in her arsenal.

http://www.mariatrebenherbs.com/67/69-calamus-sweet-flag/itemid-0

So does Michigan Herbalist Jim McDonald! http://herbcraft.org/calamus.html