Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
3-633.56.13
Cheilocostus speciosus
English: Crêpe ginger.
Names: isebsab (Palauan); keu, kemuk or keumul (Bengali); keukand (Hindi); thebu (Sinhala); pakarmula (Gujarati); pushkarmula (Marathi and Sanskrit); jom lakhuti (Assamese); kostam (Tamil); Kosta (Kannada); Kostamu (Telugu); sumbul (Mizo).
Genus: 5 species.
Region: southeast Asia, India, China, Queensland, Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia.
Use: ornamental
Botany: only one row of spirally arranged leaves; habitat roadside ditches, low-lying areas in the forest.
Use: Ayurveda for fever, rash, asthma, bronchitis, intestinal worms, kidney and urinary problems; cosmetic on the eyelashes to increase sexual attractiveness.