Saussurea costus

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Saussurea costus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Cynareae
Genus: Saussurea
Species: S. costus
Binomial name
Saussurea costus
(Falc.) Lipsch.[1]
Synonyms

Aplotaxis lappa Decne.[2]
Saussurea lappa Decne.[3]

Saussurea costus is a plant in the family Asteraceae. Its root was known as costus to the ancient world.[4] The root is also known as putchock, puchuk, koshet (Hebrew: קשט‎), kuth, kut, koot or kushta (Ayurveda).[3][4][5]

Habitat

It grows on the Himalayas in the vicinity of Kashmir.[4]

Appearance

It has long lyrate leaves and heads of purple florets.[4]

Uses

Root properties

The root of Saussurea costus is a bitter tasting herb.[5]

Ancient Israel

The root of Saussurea costus has been used as an incense and perfume ingredient for thousands of years and is mentioned in rabbinical writings as koshet (Hebrew: קשט‎), reflecting its arrowhead shape. It was used in Ketoret which is used when referring to the consecrated incense described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud. It is also referred to as the HaKetoret (the incense). It was offered on the specialized incense altar in the time when the Tabernacle was located in the First and Second Jerusalem Temples. The ketoret was an important component of the Temple service in Jerusalem.

China

In traditional Chinese medicine, the root is one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It has the name (Chinese: 云木香; pinyin: yún mù xiāng, meaning “wood aroma”).[5] It forms a main ingredient in the Chinese pastille rods known as joss sticks.[4] It is also used as incense.[6]

Tibet

In Tibet the root was and is used extensively as incense and medicine.[citation needed]

India

In Ayurveda the name Kushta refers to an ancient Vedic plant god mentioned in the Atharvaveda as a remedy for takman, the archetypal disease of excess or jvara (fever).[5] In ancient India Kushta was considered to be a divine plant derived from heavenly sources, growing high in the Himalayas, considered to be the brother of the divine Soma.[5] In Ayurveda Kushta is a rasayana for Vata, helping to normalize and strengthen digestion, cleanse the body of toxic accumulations, enhance fertility, and reduce pain.[5] In India it is also given as a medicine for cough, asthma, fever, and cholera.[citation needed] Its dried powder is the principal ingredient in an ointment for ulcers; it is also a hair wash.[4][6]

Costus rhizome is used for curing woolen cloth in hill area of Uttarakhand.

Etymology

“Costus” in Greek means “from the East” referring to the Indian lower Himalaya from where the spice was imported into Rome and Greece.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Saussurea costus information from NPGS/GRIN". Retrieved 2008-02-12. 
  2. ↑ "GRIN Taxonomy for Plants". USDA. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chandra P. Kuniyal, Yashwant S. Rawat, Santaram S. Oinam, Jagdish C. Kuniyal and Subhash C. R. Vishvakarma (2005). "Kuth (Saussurea lappa) cultivation in the cold desert environment of the Lahaul valley, northwestern Himalaya, India: arising threats and need to revive socio-economic values". Biodiversity and Conservation 14 (5): 1035. doi:10.1007/s10531-004-4365-x. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Putchock". Encyclopedia Americana. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/300-kushta
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1  "Putchock". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

External links

Look up costus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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