Insulin Plant or Keukand Plant or kostum plant is an interesting herbal plant Which is believed to be a magic plant used in the herbal treatment of diabetes mellitus.
Costus Igneus(Insulin Plant)-
Costus Igneus also is known as Insulin Plant. Commonly name fiery costus or spiral flag. It is an herbaceous plant in the Costaceae family native to eastern Brazil and also South East Asia. In India, it is popularly known as insulin plant because of its use in Ayurvedic medicine for its anti-diabetic properties.
So in India, it’s cultivated mainly for this purpose, but elsewhere it’s grown as an ornamental plant. This is an herb and the maximum height achieved by this plant is about two feet. It even gets flowers in summer which is usually orange in color. It’s called spiral flag because its leaves are arranged in a spiral fashion around the stem.
Growth and propagation:-
The plant grows very quickly and easily. This is also a zero maintenance plant. It does well in some sunshine or partly shady areas. Perhaps about 2 to 3 hours direct sunlight is sufficient for this plant. The propagation is easy by stem cutting.
Water and Soil requirements:-
The plant requires regular watering and well-drained soil. The regular soil should be about 40% garden soil, 30 % sand or cocopeat or even perlite plus and about 10-20% vermicompost or any compost.
Benefits:-
In Ayurvedic Medicine, its leaves are believed to increase the production of insulin from the pancreas. So the consumption of its leaves is believed to lower the blood glucose levels. According to Ayurvedic research and studies, diabetics were found to lower their sugar levels after oral ingestion of leaves of insulin plant.
It’s also believed to have Anti hypolipidemic property that means it can lower your bad cholesterol and triglycerides.
It’s also believed to have some Anti-Cancer effect, Anti-Oxidant effect and also Anti-
inflammatory effect like antimicrobial effect as claimed by Ayurveda.
Prescribed regime:-
The patient has to chew 2 leaves in the morning and again in the evening for 1 week daily. And then for another 3 weeks, one leaf in the morning and one in the evening daily. So a total of 30 days of therapy. So if you or your loved ones have diabetes, do try this at home and let us know in comments section.
You can read- Top 6 Medicinal Plants You can grow Yourself at Home.
