1. Costus speciosus: Medicinally Wild
Edible Stout of Odisha
Sanjay Kumar Madkami
Archita Behera
Sanjeet Kumar

2. •Higher plants are major sources of therapeutic agents, it was utilized throughout the world.
•Currently more than 2000 plants are used as single drugs and compound formulation.
•The current demand for the plant based products in medicine and industry has resulted in extensive of plant for
potential therapeutic agents.
•In India, the agro-climatic condition provide an ideal habitat for growth of more than 9500 medicinal plant .
•Today a substantial number of drugs are developed from plants which are active against a number of diseases.
•In this research work Costus speciosus Koen. is selected, as it is one of the important wild rhizomatous plant having
nutritional and medicinal values and extensively used by rural and tribal people of Odisha as traditional medicine.
INTRODUCTION

3. Costus speciosus
Systematic position
Kingdom - Plantae
Subkingdom - Tracheobinota
Division - Mangoliophyta
Class - Liliopsida
Order - Zingiberales
Family - Costaceae
Genus - Costus
Species - speciosus
Mature plant of Costus speciosus (J. Konig) Smith.(Saxena H O and Brahmam M. The Flora of Orissa.1996. IV: 2037- 2039)

4. Uses of Costus speciosus
• Bruised leaves are applied in fever.
• Eating of one leave daily to keep blood glucose
low for diabetic people.
• Leaves decoction is utililized in bath for
patients with high fever.
• Leaves are given in mental disorder.
Leaves
(Ariharan et al., 2012.. International Journal of Advanced Life Sciences. 4: 24-27.)

5. Stem are also intake as food by boiling
or frying removing its outer skin.
Decoction of stem is used in fever and
dysentery.
Young stem juice is used internally for
eye and ear infection.
Stem
(Singh N. 2011. International Journal of Pharma Sciences and Research. 2(12): 216- 225.)

6. Rhizomes and roots juice are given with sugar
internally to treat leprosy.
These are given in pneumonia, rheumatism, urinary
diseases, jaundice, etc.
The root extract possesses antidiabetic, antibacterial,
antifungal and antioxidant properties.
It contains Diosgenin, a steroidal saponin
generally used as antifertility agent.
Bioactive compounds like costunolide, eremanthin,
protodioscin, dioscin, octasonoic acid, etc. are present.
Rhizome
Daisy P, Eliza J, and Ignacimuthu S. 2008. Journal of Health Science. 54: 675- 681.

7. Seed and Fruit
Seeds and fruits of these plants
are used in the preparation of
syrups in traditional medicine as
cough suppressant and in the
treatment of oxidative related
diseases.
PHOTO OF FRUIT N SEED
Arora R K and Pandey A. 1996. Diversity, Conservation and Use. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New
Delhi, India.

8. Nutritional Values
• Costus speciosus (Koen.) Sm. rhizome is a good source of micronutrients like
Vitamin A, which can prevent night blindness and malnutrition prevalent.
• Besides it is rich in antioxidant, nutrients like β- carotene, ascorbic acid
(Vitamin C), tocoferol (Vitamin E), which can prevent coronary disorder and
cancer.
• The tubers of Costus speciosus are being consumed raw or as vegetable.
• It possesses a very good amount of carbohydrate- 44.51%, starch- 31.65%,
amylose- 14.44%, protein- 19.20% and lipid/ oil content was also estimated to be
3.52% in this species.

9. PHARMACOLOGICAL
ACTIVITY OF Costus
speciosus
Antidiabeti
c
Antibacteria
l
Antifunga
l
Anticance
r
Antioxidan
t
Anthelmint
ic
Antiinflammator
y Hepatoprotective
( (Bhuyan B, et al.. 2013. Pharmanest. 4(6): 1447- 1457.)
Vasantharaj S, et al 2013. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and
Research. 4(5): 1815- 1819.)

10. Conclusion & Future Prospects
• The study of the antimicrobial and medicinal properties of this plant and parts will facilitate the possible use
of the plants for curing common diseases and also in preparation of medicines. This could counteract the need
for new and modern drugs against the resistant microbes.
• The nutritional values of these rhizomes can be documented and hence will encourage to propagate more and
more indigenous rhizomatous crops which can partly solve their food problems and to make a suitable
horticulture plant
• Mass cultivation of these wild plants through Tissue culture can protect the minor rhizome crops from
extinction helping in conservation of wide biodiversity available in Odisha.
• Tribal people at the time of food scarcity depend on this plant for their dietary.

11. FUTURE PROSPECTOUS