Common Name
English :Spiral ginger
Hindi :Keu
Manipuri :Okchak khombi
Scientific Name
Group :Angiosperm (Monocotyledon)
Family :Zingiberaceae
Genus :Costus
Species :speciosus (Koenig.) Smith
Habit :Rhizomatous slender herb
Parts Used :Root, Rhizome & Stem
Mode of Preparation :Roots crushed with water for decoction. Leafy shoot crushed with water for juice.
Mode of use :Fresh
Ingredients :The rhizome yield steroidal saponin that give diosgenin and ligogenin on hydrolysis. Rhizomes contain 4% of total sapoagenins of which 1.9 -4% is diosgenin. Rhizomes are rich in starch and fibre. Diosgenin is the raw material for the synthesis of many steroidal drugs. Seeds contain saponins, dioscin and gracillin.
Ailment Treated:The rhizome possesses anti-inflammatory activity. The juice of pounded fresh tops of young branches is applied in the ear to cure otitis. The plant is used as raw material for diosgenin extraction. Root is used as a tonic, anthelmintic, astringent, purgative, depurative, stimulant and used in snake bite. Decoction of root is given in jaundice, tuberculosis, piles and urinary complaints. Juice of fresh rhizome is mixed with the rhizome juice of ‘Acorus calamus’ is applied in leprosy.
Source:Extensively grown in the wetlands and along the side of streams.