Adrue
Botanical: Cyperus articulatus (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Cyperaceae
---Part Used---The drug Adrue is the tuberous rhizome of
the Guinea Rush (Cyperus articulatus Linn.), a tall sedge, common in
Jamaica, and on the banks of the Nile.
---Description---The blackish-red, somewhat top-shaped tubers are 3/4 to 1 inch long, 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter, sometimes in a series of two or three, connected by an underground stem 1/8 inch in diameter and 1 to 2 inches long. Internally, the tubers are pale in colour, a transverse section showing a central column with darker points indicating vascular bundles. The dried tubers often bear the bristly remains of former leaves on their upper ends. The drug has a bitterish, aromatic taste, recalling that of Lavender. The odour of the fresh tubers has been likened to that of the Sweet Sedge, Calamus aromaticus.
---Medicinal Action and Uses---Carminative, sedative, very useful in vomiting of pregnancy.
The aromatic properties of the drug cause a feeling of warmth to be diffused throughout the whole system and it acts as a sedative in dyspeptic disorders.
---Preparations---A fluid extract is made from the tubers. Dose, 10 to 30 minims.
