Vacha is a very very important herb that is considered so very highly in Ayurveda. This is also one herb that is very commonly used in home remedies and especially in village sides you will never find a single person who is not aware of this amazing herb. It is popularly and commonly called sweet flag in English and it's botanical name is Acorus Calamus. It is called vasambu in Tamil, vacha in Sanskrit and bach in Hindi. It is an ancient herb and it's usage dates back centuries. It has wide variety of names like sweet myrtle, sweet root, calamus, etc which shows it's popularity all over the world.
* Vacha For Babies:If small babies don't take their feed and their stomach is bloated and they pass gas often, they might be suffering from indigestion. To treat it, take a long pieces of vacha and burn it in direct flame, cool and powder it. Mix a small pinch of vacha powder in breast milk and give it to the babies.
* Vacha For Speech Delay, Sore Throat & Cough:To treat cough and sore throat, take a piece of vacha and break it into a small piece by pounding it in a mortar and pestle. Now take a small broken piece of vacha and suck on it for some time. As the vacha extract enters our throat, we will get good relief from cough and sore throat. Sucking on the root also helps children who suffer from speech delay. We can also give a small pinch of the root powder mixed with honey too.
* Vacha For Indigestion in Adults:For treating indigestion in adults, take 1/8 th tsp of dry ginger powder and vasambu powder in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to it and let it steep for a few minutes, strain and sweeten with honey. This is a good home remedy for treating all kinds of stomach ailments like indigestion, stomach pain, flatulence, etc
* Vacha As An Insecticide:Vacha is a very very effective insecticide. We can mix vacha powder in water and sprinkle to get rid of insects. This is a very safe way to get rid of insects especially in houses where there are small children. We can also use pounded vacha to make small sachets to use in wardrobes and cupboards for getting rid of roaches and insects.
* Vacha For Depression, Epilepsy & Boosting Memory:Vacha decoction is very calming on the nerves and is also said to improve memory. It also acts like a nerve tonic helping one relax during stress and depression, you can read the study that proves this use here. It also helps people who suffer from epilepsy. To make the decoction, soak lightly pounded vacha root in a cup boiling hot water till it comes to room temperature and drink.