Qist Al Hindi, Costus, or Saussurea Costus is a herbal plant that grows in the high valleys of Kashmir and the Himalayas. It has a large number of names in other languages, including "kuṣṭha" in Sanskrit; "kust" or "qust" in Arabic and Persian; "kut", "kur" and "pachak" in Hindi and Bengali, "kostum", "gostham" and "potchuk" in Tamil; "upaleta" and "kur" in Gujarati; "kot" or "kust" in Punjabi; "changala" in Telugu; "sepuddy" in Malayalam; "kostha" in Kannada; "kuth" or "postkhai" in Kashmiri; and "kosht" (קשט) in Hebrew; "koto" in Swahili.
Saussurea costus is classified as a perennial, with typical growth of 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) tall by 1 m (3.3 ft) wide. It has long lyrate leaves and heads of purple florets. The leaves take the shape of being auricled at the base, with jagged, toothed patterns running down the sides of the leaves, and are an average of 0.50–1.25 m (1.6–4.1 ft) long. The roots of the plant are stout and can travel up to 40 cm (16 in) in length.
Costus root has a bitter smell in a yellow or light brown color.
There are two types of Costus roots. Both come in the form of a dried root and both provide amazing healing benefits:
• "Qist al-Bahri", which is lighter in color and milder.
• "Qist al-Hindi", which is darker in color and has a stronger flavor.
COSTUS ROOT IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE:
The recent scientific review of Costus showed:
• Decreases blood sugar
• Lowers inflammation
• Has antioxidant activity
Other studies have shown that Costus root:
• Reduces pain and fever and has anti-inflammatory effects.
• This study showed that patients with throat infections who took Costus root had remission rates similar to that associated with the use of antibiotics.
TRADITIONAL USES OF COSTUS:
- In the case of the throat and respiratory tract.
- In harmonic disorders.
- In inflammation of the prostate and kidneys.
- In skin (pimples, boils)
- In burns
- For the elevation of potency.
- To strengthen the immune system.
- To restore and cleanse the body and healthy lifestyle, etc.
