COSTUS IGNEUS – A THERAPEUTIC ANTI-DIABETIC HERB WITH ACTIVE PHYTOCONSTITUTENTS

Objective: Diabetes mellitus is an interminable metabolic disorder that has highly affected human health and quality of life. Conventional agents are being applied to control this disorder along with lifestyle management. But they are not totally effective and nobody has ever been diagnosed with full recovery of diabetes. Medicinal plants have been used for greater extent for control of diabetes mellitus in various traditional system of medicine worldwide as they are of natural origin and many of them are known to be effective against diabetes. Costus igneus is known as a blazing Costus, step stepping stool or Spiral banner. In India, it is popularly known as insulin plant due to the consumption of leaves of Costus igneus helps to prevent diabetes mellitus by decreasing the blood glucose level. A comprehensive review was conducted to collect data about medicinal herbs used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This review deals with the study of chemical structures of plant constituents and their mechanism of action. Materials and Methods: Review is mainly focused on Costus igneus especially on its anti-diabetic activity. Result: Reviews suggest that Costus igneus has anti-diabetic potential especially on diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Considering the ability of the valuable things present in Costus igneus, this review is aimed to summarize the information of the biochemical constituents, their chemical structures, and mode of action. Due to the high therapeutic potential, these bio-compounds deserve special attention.