It is true that Calamus was banned as a food additive in 1968 by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Another herb that seems to have been labeled as toxic by the powers that be.  The reason behind this is unclear though, as there is no scientific evidence or any verified reports of Calamus toxicity.  To the contrary, in fact — this study investigated acute and chronic toxicity of Calamus in rats after 90 days, and found the following:

“The present investigation demonstrates that the traditional medicine, the ethanolic extract of Acorus calamus lack potential toxicity, as it neither cause any lethality nor changes the general behavior in both the acute and chronic toxicity studies.”

Shah, et al.: Toxicity of Acorus calamus 35 International Journal of Green Pharmacy | January-March 2012 |

Link to the study:  https://www.greenpharmacy.info/index.php/ijgp/article/view/234/247

In general, Calamus is an uplifting and energizing herb.  Calamus has a long history of medicinal and culinary use.  Perhaps the main reason it has been labeled toxic could be attributed to the fact that in large doses calamus has been known to be mildly hallucinogenic.

You certainly are safe with our blends, as they contain only a small percentage of Calamus — less than 1% by weight.

Here is more information on Calamus.