Customary use of plants in the treatment of ailments in Assam, India is a typical situation. Ethno medicinal study was led in a few topographically unique zones of the state and utilization of plants from Costus species were reported. The extent of study chose for the investigation range across seven organizational regions spread across Assam, India. The regions include Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong, Goalpara and Kokrajhar. Different plants were reported and plants fitting with the said species were chosen for determining the relevance concerning its use in customary medication. The survey divulged that plants associated to three species of the genus Costus namely Costus speciosus, Costus pictus and Costus scaber were espied to be primarily ubiquitous in traditional medicine in the discrete contemplated regions. The species were predominantly utilized as prime ingrediants in hepatoprotactive and anti-diabetic formulations. Costus speciosus was perceived to be chiefly used in the treatment of hepatic disorders and ailments. Costus pictus was observed to be used customarily in the upper Assam region bordering Nagaland for treating diabetes and Costus scaber was being used in the area bordering Arunachal Pradesh for tending people with jaundice, snake bite etc. The research climaxed with the profiling of the costus species as annotated from the ethnomedicinal survey.
Part of the book: Natural Medicinal Plants