Description

The dry rhizomes of Acorus gramineus (Shi Changpu) is listed officially in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia and used in oriental medicines for more than hundreds of years to treat neurological disorders. A. gramineus possessed various pharmacological effects on the central nervous system, including neuroprotective effects, central inhibitory effects, inhibitory effects on excitotoxic neuronal death, and stroke, and amelioration in learning and memory. A. gramineus contains different extract fractions: volatile oil, composing mainly of β-asarone, and α-asarone.