Botanical Name : Costus speciosus (Koenig) Sm.

Family : Costaceae

Identification No.: SDACH/HG/091

Introduction :

Costus igneus Nak (syn. Costus pictus D. Don, Costus mexicanus Liebm ex Petersen or Costus congenitus Rowle), commonly known as fiery costus, Step ladder or Spiral flag or Insulin plant, is native to South and Central America. This is a recent introduction to India from America as an herbal cure for diabetes and hence commonly called as ‘insulin plant.’ It is widely grown in gardens as ornamental plant in South India and also run wild in many places. It is used in India to control diabetes, and it is known that diabetic people eat one leaf daily to keep their blood glucose low.Leaves of C. igneus were one among the plants known to be effectively used for treating diabetes by the tribal people of Kolli hills of Namakkal district, Tamilnadu. In Mexican folk medicine, the aerial part of C. pictus D. Don is used as an infusion in the treatment of renal disorders.

The plant belongs to the family Costaceae. The Costaceae was first raised to the rank of family by Nakai on the basis of spirally arranged leaves and rhizomes being free from aromatic essential oils. Before the elevation to family status, Engler and Prantl recognized Costoideal as a subfamily under Zingiberaceae. Several anatomical and morphological features support this isolated position including well developed aerial shoot with distinct, rigid, and commonly branched stems. The leaves are inserted in a low spiral with divergences. The family Costaceae consists of four genera and approximately 200 species. The genus Costus is the largest in the family with about 150 species that are mainly tropical in distribution.[2,6] The present review deals with the recent research carried out in the area of phytochemistry, pharmacological, biological activities, and safety of Costus igneus Nak.

Synonyms:

Classical names: Bhandookpushpa, Pushkarmoola

Bhavaprakasha:

बन्धूकपुष्पा तिक्तोष्णा पुष्करमूलसम्मिता।

श्लेष्मवातज्वरघ्नी च हिक्काश्वासकफापहा॥

Morphology :

It is a perennial, upright, spreading plant reaching about two feet tall, with the tallest stems falling over and lying on the ground. Leaves are simple, alternate, entire, oblong, evergreen, 4-8 inches in length with parallel venation. The large, smooth, dark green leaves of this tropical evergreen have light purple undersides and are spirally arranged around stems, forming attractive, arching clumps arising from underground rootstocks. Beautiful, 1.5-inch diameter, orange flowers are produced in the warm months, appearing on cone-like heads at the tips of branches.[8] Fruits are inconspicuous, not showy, less than 0.5 inch, and green-colored.

Chemical constituents :

Sequential screening for phytochemicals of C. igneus leaves revealed that it is rich in protein, iron, and antioxidant components such as ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, β-carotene, terpinoids, steroids, and flavonoids. It was revealed in another study that methanolic extract was found to contain the highest number of phytochemicals such as carbohydrates, triterpenoids, proteins, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids. Preliminary phytochemical evaluation of Insulin plant (C. pictus) revealed that the leaves contain 21.2% fibers. Successive extracts gave 5.2% extractives in petroleum ether, 1.06% in cyclohexane, 1.33% in acetone, and 2.95% in ethanol. Analysis of successive extracts showed presence of steroids in all extracts. The ethanol extract contained alkaloid also. The major component of the ether fraction was bis (2’-ethylhexyl)-1,2-benzenedicarboxylate (59.04%) apart from α-tocopherol and a steroid, ergastanol. Stem showed the presence of a terpenoid compound lupeol and a steroid compound stigmasterol. Bioactive compounds quercetin and diosgenin, a steroidal sapogenin, were isolated from C. igneus rhizome. Trace elemental analysis showed that the leaves and rhizomes of C. pictus contains appreciable amounts of the elements K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Zn. Steam distillation of stems, leaves, and rhizomes of C. pictus D. Don yielded clear and yellowish essential oils.

Raspanchaka:

Rasa: Tikta, Kashaya

Guna: Laghu, Snigdha

Virya: Ushna

Vipaka: Katu

Prabhava: Shwasahara

Dosha Shamakta: Kapha-Vata Shamak

Karma (Rogaghnata):

Shwasahara, Jvarahara, Krimighna, Hikka-Nashaka, Agnivardhaka

Amayika Prayoga/Therapeutic Uses:

External:

Paste used in swelling, joint pain

Juice applied in skin diseases

Internal:

Decoction of rhizome in cough, asthma, and bronchitis

Powder used in fever and digestive disorders

Part used: Rhizome

Dose:

Churna: 3–6 g

Decoction: 50–100 ml

Yoga/Formulations:

Pushkarmool Churna

Shwasahara Kashaya

Used in various proprietary respiratory and digestive formulations

IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC)

Research updates:

1. Joshi et al. (2023). Anti-inflammatory and bronchodilatory effects of Costus speciosus rhizome extract in asthma models. Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

2. Mehta et al. (2022). Hepatoprotective activity of Costus speciosus in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

3. Reddy et al. (2021). Antidiabetic and antioxidant effects of Costus speciosus rhizome in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine