Calamus has the role of regulating the central nervous system, the plant nervous system, endocrine system, cardiovascular system and digestive system, its main pharmacological effects manifested in the central sedation and anti-scare effect [1]. Calamus decoction and oil decoction can significantly reduce the degree of voluntary activity in mice, and with the subthreshold hypnotic dose of sodium pentobarbital has a significant synergistic effect; volatile oil sedative effect is stronger. When the dose is greater than 25mg/kg, that is, the central nervous system caused extensive inhibition, the degree of inhibition is related to the dose, the onset of action is fast, the duration of a long time, calamus alcohol extract can also make the animals quiet, lethargy; calamus chloroform extracts of monkeys and other animals have a sedative effect, the strength of the dose is related to [2]. It has been reported that Acorus calamus may play a sedative effect on the central nervous system by decreasing monoamine neurotransmitters (including catecholamines and indoleamines) [3]. 33% suspension of Acorus calamus 10mg/kg ig30min can reduce the rate of convulsions to pentetrazol from 93% to 60% in mice [1]. The α-fine ether in the volatile oil may be the active ingredient of its anticonvulsant, 90-150 mg/kg of α-fine ether ip can counteract electroconvulsions in mice, and 140 mg/kg can completely counteract convulsions induced by pentetrazol and convulsive grand mal seizures induced by lateral ventricular injection of acetylcholine (Ach) [4]. Volatile oil in another major component of anti-4-propenyl veratrole also has a central inhibitory effect, 50mg/kg iv can be caused by rabbits of the flip positive reflex, nociceptive reflex and auditory reflex disappearance [5]. Mice spontaneous activity, subthreshold dose of sodium pentobarbital synergistic experiments, anti-convulsive test, anti-hypoxia and swimming test of the latest research results show that the total volatile oil of Acorus calamus is the main part of sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, α-synephrine ether and β-synephrine ether is the main active ingredient of the above effects of Acorus calamus [6]. In recent years, α-fine ether was used to treat epilepsy, and the effective rate reached 83% [7]. The main component of volatile oil of Acorus calamus is β-fine ether. It has been reported that β-fine ether is carcinogenic and has a damaging effect on human lymphocyte chromosomes [8], whereas α-fine ether is less toxic and is a drug for bronchitis and epilepsy, and its preparations have been used in clinical practice [9]. Zeng's treatment of 41 cases of epilepsy with calamus-based tonics resulted in 17 cases of complete control, 11 cases of significant reduction in the number of seizures, and the remaining 13 cases also improved significantly [10]. Zhang's also used a similar method to treat 24 cases of epilepsy, with 1 case of significant effect and 19 cases of effective [11]. Some people to calamus-based treatment of epilepsy 310 cases, the results of 165 cases cured, 129 cases improved [12]. Qiao also used a similar method to treat 338 cases of blood deficiency and phlegm disturbance type schizophrenia, resulting in a cure rate of 80.2% and an overall effective rate of 98.8% [13]. The study on the in vivo process of calamus showed that the drug was absorbed rapidly (t1/2 ka=0.08h) and completely (absorption rate F=0.98) in the oral gastrointestinal absorption, the blood drug concentration reached the peak in 15min, the plasma protein binding rate was 61%, and it was rapidly distributed in the liver, kidneys, bile, heart, brain, lungs, spleen and other organs; the concentration in the liver and kidneys was close to the plasma, and the rest declined in order. After part of it is excreted by bile, it is still reabsorbed through the enterohepatic circulation, and finally it is mainly excreted with urine. A small part of the drug can be metabolized by the liver, in vivo half-life of about 3 ~ 4h, volume of distribution 0.38L/kg [14]. It can be seen that calamus sedative antitussive efficacy is accurate, clinical application is also very wide.

1.2 Open the orifices to wake up the spirit

Chinese medicine believes that stroke coma, epilepsy and other alterations in mental state, mostly for phlegm and fire disturbing the heart, phlegm masking the orifices, resulting in the loss of the heart, the brain orifices occlusion. Phlegm is one of the main pathogenic factors. Calamus and musk, for the first choice of phlegm opening medicine. Clinically, it is often used with other traditional Chinese medicines to treat stroke coma, epilepsy, hypersomnia, amnesia, tinnitus and so on. Acorus calamus is aromatic, opening and waking up the mind, widely used in the treatment of closed evidence of fainting, clinical efficacy is very accurate. Clinically, the injection solution (0.5% total volatile oil solution) made of single calamus volatile oil was used to treat pulmonary encephalopathy coma, with an effective rate of 74.97%, which could rapidly eliminate the impaired consciousness and neuropsychiatric symptoms [15]. Calamus formula is widely used in the treatment of a variety of diseases, to the psycho-neurological system and cardiovascular system of the most experimental treatment. Some people [1] with calamus volatile oil β - fine ether made of injection, the treatment of encephalopathy 43 cases, achieved significant results, the effect of 25 cases of improvement [1]. Wang used the compound decoction of Acorus calamus to treat 25 cases of encephalitis B coma, with an effective rate of 92% [16]. Calamus compound decoction nasal feeding and combined with western medicine for the treatment of encephalitis B 104 cases, the results of 78 cases cured, 7 cases improved [17]. Brain wake up punch is composed of calamus and other medicines, treating 34 cases of ischemic stroke, achieving good results [18]. Acorus calamus to open up the mind has not been reported in animal experimental studies.

1.3 Benefiting the brain

Alzheimer's disease is a kind of progressive mental function decline disease, and its prevalence and mortality rate are high, which seriously affects the daily life of the elderly. Currently, there is a lack of effective treatments for this disease, so the study of intellectual stimulants will become one of the most important research topics in the last 10 years. Thirty-four clinical reports on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with Chinese herbal medicine have been analyzed, and it was found that the most frequently used drugs in the 47 formulas counted were, in order, calamus, angelica sinensis, poria, dihuang, farzhi, licorice, chenpi, hemixia, atractylodes macrocephala, radix et rhizoma Ginseng, and chuanxiong rhizoma in the order of their use [19]. There are also many reports that compound preparations with Acorus calamus can improve learning memory ability in rats and mice. Yizhi I, consisting of He Shouwu, Acorus calamus, Pueraria lobata, Ginkgo biloba, Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong, and Paeonia lactiflora, 25 and 50 g/kg of which were instilled for 7 d, was able to antagonize the destructive effects on memory of scopolamine 1 mg/kg, sodium pentobarbital 30 mg/kg, 40% ethanol 10 mL/kg, chloramphenicol 200 mg/kg, and sodium nitrite 120 mg/kg, and it was able to increase the light-dark discrimination learning memory acquisition and memory consolidation in normal rats [20]. Qizhiling oral solution is composed of 7 Chinese medicines, including Shouwu, Yuanzhi and Calamus. It was proved to counteract camptothecin-induced memory impairment in mice, improve the learning memory ability of normal mice, increase the content of norepinephrine (NA) and dopamine (DA) in the brain of rats, decrease the content of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and increase the content of proteins and nucleic acids in the brain [21]. Liu's use of Siqi Tang (made half-summer, Zhu Poria, Calamus, Citrus aurantium, Yu Jin) flavored treatment of Alzheimer's disease in 30 cases, compared with the control group of cerebral rejuvenation significant efficacy of Alzheimer's disease, stroke-combined dementia has a good therapeutic effect [22]. Ding Zhi Wan is composed of ginseng, Yuan Zhi, Poria and Calamus. Xie Mingcun et al. proved that Tingzhi Pill has synergized the effect of ginseng with Yuanzhi, Poria, and Acorus calamus in preventing and treating memory disorders [13]. Calamus and yujin warm bile soup was used to treat 20 cases of senile dementia based on liver detoxification and opening up of the mind, which achieved satisfactory results, suggesting that this formula has the effect of restoring senile brain function [24]. Kidney and brain tonic soup (Epimedium, calamus, etc.) treated 56 cases of stroke dementia, with a total effective rate of 83.9% [25]. Zhou used calamus with blood activating and blood stasis removing medicines (Angelica sinensis, Chuanxiong Xiong, etc.) to treat 52 cases of post-traumatic brain syndrome, with an effective rate of 91% for memory loss and amnesia [26]. Wake up the brain soup (astragalus, calamus, etc.) has the effect of eliminating symptoms and improving brain function on post-concussion syndrome [27]. Of course, how the role of calamus in the above formulas is to be further explored.

1.4 Chemical composition of Acorus calamus

Acorus calamus contains volatile oil, sugars, organic acids, amino acids and other components. Volatile oil contains 34 kinds of components [28], mainly β-fine ether (β-asarone), accounting for 63.2% ~ 81.2%, α-fine ether (α-asarone), accounting for 3.4% ~ 13. 7%, fine ether (asarone), stigmasterol (caryopphyllene), calamus ether (sekishone), fine octanal ( asarylaldehyde), γ-asarone, d-δcadinene, myristric acid, thymol, and others. Sesquiterpenoids are important components of the volatile oil of Acorus calamus. So far, calamus plants have been isolated from the sesquiterpenes up to twenty, thirty kinds, phenylpropanoid is the main component of the volatile oil of calamus, of which α, β-asarone and in the phenylpropanoid accounted for a considerable amount, some even up to as high as 80% of the amount, and recognized as one of the main active ingredients [29]. The chemical constituents of the decoction are currently identified by NMR*** vibrometer as eight compounds [30], namely: 2,4,5-trimethylbenzoic acid, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid, 2,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde, butanedioic acid, octanedioic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, bis-[5-formylfurfuryl]-ether, and 2,5-dimethoxybenzoquinone. The LD50 of the volatile oil of Acorus calamus has been reported to be (0.23±0.023) mL/kg [2], and the LD50 of α-fine ether was 926 mL/kg (rat) and 417.6 mL/kg (mouse) [31]. The market is often used in the external calamus as calamus medicine; external calamus volatile oil content of no more than 0.01%, while the calamus (genuine nine-jointed calamus: nine-jointed calamus a original is based on the calamus herbs have a "one-inch nine-jointed" trait characteristics, there is this feature of the medicinal herbs have been regarded as a high-quality varieties of calamus) volatile oil content of the general for the 1.0% to 3.0%, the main components are β-asarone (β-asarone, 61.12%), camphene (camphene, 2.78%), lobster brain (borneol, 1.93%) [32].