Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants

Costus pictus

Family: Costaceae (Spiral Ginger family)
Botanical name: Costus pictus D. Don syn, Costus mexicanus
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Sanskrit: Mehantaki
English: Spiral Ginger, Spotted Spiral Ginger, Painted Spiral Ginger
Hindi:
Malayalam: Insulin Chadi, Insulinchadi

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Painted Spiral Ginger is a perennial herb, native to Mexico. It has long narrow leaves with a characteristic wavy edges. The bases of the sheaths are mottled with markings that have earned the plant the synonym of Costus hieroglyphica. The inflorescences form both at the end of a leafy stem, and less often radically on a short nearly leafless stem. Painted Spiral Ginger can be recognized by its yellow flowers with red spots and stripes. In India it is grown in gardens as ornamental plant especially in Kerala in every home. The major attraction of this plant is its stem with spiral leaves and light airy and tissue paper like flowers. Red painted stem enhances the beauty of the glossy leaves and strongly spiralling canes.
Insulin Plant Ayurvedic Medicinal Herbsinsulin Plant. Diabetes Patients are advised to chew down a leaf in the morning and one in the evening for a month.