Costus – The Diabetic Aid:
(Dry Costus leaves are used to prepare our Herbal Diabetic Tea)
Costus is a beautiful herbaceous plant found growing in the Western Ghats. It is closely related to ginger and belongs to the family Costaceae. It has a spiraling shoot, succulent flowers and can be propagated by stem cuttings.
Health Benefits:
The plant is traditionally known for its use in controlling blood sugar levels and has come to be known as the “Insulin Plant”.
Recent laboratory studies have substantiated the following health benefits:
Fighting Diabetes: People with diabetes eating fresh or dried leaves or rhizomes show a decrease in the fasting blood sugar levels By reducing triglycerides, total cholesterol, phospholipids, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and an increase in liver glycogen, insulin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (Shruti et al., 2011, Revathi et al., 2014). It has become popular in Ayurveda control of diabetes-related problems.
Improving Liver Function
Lowering Blood Pressure
Managing Cholesterol:
**References
Devi, V.D. and Urooj , A. (2008) Hypoglycemic potential of Morus indica. L and Costus igneus Nak.—A preliminary study. Indian J. Exp. Biol. 46 (8) 614–616. PMID 18814491
Revathy, J., Abdullah, S.S. and Kumar, P.S. (2014) Antidiabetic effect of Costus Speciosus rhizome extract in alloxan induced albino rats. Journal of Chemistry and Biochemistry 2 (1) 13-22.
Shruti Srivastava, S., Singh, P., Mishra, G., Jha, K.K. and Khosla, R.L. (2011) Costus speciosus (Keukand) : A review . Pelagia Research Library, Der Pharmacia Sinica 2 (1) 118-128.
Usage/Preparation:
Brew a teaspoon of our Herbal Diabetic tea in hot water for 3 mins and consume. Add a teaspoon of our Stevia Powder for natural sweetness.