GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Calamus Root
Acorus calamus
Chemotype: beta-asarone type
- PLANT PART
- rhizomes
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- base
LEARN AS YOU COMPARE
What’s inside this oil?
Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.
Meet the main constituents, then select one to see what makes it interesting.
FOLLOW YOUR SENSES
Aroma & character
A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.
- Aroma intensity
- 50 / 100
- Note layer
- base
If you like this scent, explore
A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY
Using it thoughtfully
Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.
- Cited dermal maximum · leave-on
- 0.0111%
- Phototoxicity
- Not flagged in this profile
- Oxidation risk
- Unknown
A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.
No furocoumarin-based phototoxic restriction was identified; the limiting safety issue is the IFRA asarone ceiling.
Contraindications & cautions
- majorThe public IFRA asarone standard treats cis- and trans-asarone as carcinogenicity-driven restrictions, so calamus oil should only be used at very low finished-product levels.
Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches
A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT
Inside the oil
An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.
About this composition
This profile uses a public 2022 GC-MS certificate for Nepalese steam-distilled calamus oil. That batch is overwhelmingly beta-asarone dominant with trans-beta-asarone as the second major marker and only minor supporting sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids. The oil-level dermal ceiling is derived from the public IFRA asarone limit against the measured total asarone content in the cited batch.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beta-Asarone | 80.21% | 80.21–80.21% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceLotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490 https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf (Peak report #66 beta-Asarone 80.21%) |
| trans-beta-Asarone | 9.91% | 9.91–9.91% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceLotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490 https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf (Peak report #78 trans-beta-Asarone 9.91%) |
| Elimicin | 1.29% | 1.29–1.29% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceLotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490 https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf (Peak report #62 Elimicin 1.29%) |
| cis-Methyl isoeugenol | 1.27% | 1.27–1.27% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceLotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490 https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf (Peak report #37 cis-Methyl isoeugenol 1.27%) |
| alpha-Calacorene | 0.56% | 0.56–0.56% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceLotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490 https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf (Peak report #58 alpha-Calacorene 0.56%) |
Profile source: Lotus Garden Botanicals Certificate of Analysis CALAMUS ROOT CMS322EO490; The Good Scents Company acorus calamus rhizome oil entry · https://www.lgbotanicals.com/assets/images/Certificate%20of%20Analysis%20CALAMUS%20ROOT%20CMS322EO490.pdf ; https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/es1002331.html
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- traditionally used in folk aromatic and incense traditions for a warm, spicy-earthy note
- used in perfumery historically as a fixative with a distinctive woody-spicy, leathery character
- traditionally associated with South and East Asian ritual and herbal-use traditions
- reported use in small, diluted amounts within niche perfumery for its unusual spicy-woody profile
- shares the general reputation of root-derived materials for grounding, earthy base notes
For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.
What we're still learning · 3 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- The oil-level max_dermal_pct 0.0111% is derived from the public IFRA 0.01% total asarone limit and the cited batch's combined measured beta-asarone plus trans-beta-asarone content of 90.12%, rather than being published as a finished oil number in one document.
- Odor intensity 50 normalizes the cited categorical description of medium odor strength into the archive's 0-100 scale rather than transcribing a published numeric intensity.
- No public source located in this pass gave directly measured volatility-rate data.