Kuth Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch.: A critically endangered medicinal plant from Himalaya

Saussurea, a large genus covering about 400 species and belongs to the flowering plant family Asteraceae. Saussurea costus (Falc.) Lipsch. commonly-known as kuth or costus, an imperative herb endemic to the Himalayan region and known to have medicinal utilization. The herbal plant serves as a raw material resource for pharmaceutical industries. The principal components of S. costus are costunolide, dehydrocostus lactone, and cynaropicrin. Costus has been traditionally used in herbal medications with no noticeable adverse effects. The escalating demand, unscientific collection, and vicious harvesting of costus causing elimination and dwindling the plant status in wild. Phytochemical and biological advancement in the past few decades provided evidence for plant to be used as a suitable drug formulation source. The available reviews on costus are relatively restricted to a scope or obsolete. The review intends to recapitulate detailed information on geographic distribution, morphological features, agro-technology, ethnobotany, status, and cultivation history. In addition to these studies, chemical composition, pharmaceutical properties through scientific validation, trade, and conservation challenges of costus are also presented. However, conscientious efforts are needed to explore the potential of costus and validation of its traditional uses through clinical applications.

Automated summary

Costus, also known as Saussurea costus, is an important herb endemic to the Himalayan region, traditionally used in herbal medications. However, escalating demand and unscientific collection practices have led to the decline in the wild plant population.