Costus {Saussurea costa or lappa}
Costus is also known as kuth, kut, koot or kushta
Ayurveda Characteristic and Uses
- Effect on doshas – Balances Vata and Kapha
- Taste – Pungent, bitter
- Energetics – Heating
- Main Traditional Action: Anti-asthmatic and reduces fevers
- Other Traditional Uses: Strengthens digestion, detoxifying, enhance fertility, and reduces pain.
Modern Research
Costus and its components have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiulcer, immunomodulatory, and hepatoprotective effects. Is has also been shown to inhibit the mRNA expression of iNOS by lipopolysaccharide stimulated macrophages, thus reducing nitric oxide production, to produces changes in neurotransmitter levels, to protect osteoblastic cells from damage through improved mitochondrial function, to induce apoptosis in cancer cells and to have potential applications in angiogenesis related diseases such as cancer.