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Costus speciosus, Push kar mu la

Wild Ginger
Push kar mu la (Tibetan)
Kebuka (Ayurveda) (sometimes called Kustha)
Zhang Liu Tou (TCM)

Picture
G.E. Rumphius, Herbarium amboinense, vol. 6 (1750)

Picture
N. Witsen, H. de Jager, Plantae Javanicae pictae, ex Java transmissae anno MDCC, (1700)

Botanical name:
Costus speciosus (syn. Banksia speciosus, Cheilocostus speciosus)

Parts used:
Root, rhizome

Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Pungent

Uses:
1. Clears Phlegm, Stops Cough:
-Cough, Bronchitis, Asthma

2. Clears Damp, Promotes Urine, Stops Pain:
-Gout, Rheumatism, Osteoarthritis
-Edema, Fluid Swellings, Ascites
-Dysuria, Jaundice

3. Resists Poison, Resolves Swellings:
-Fever
-Welling Abscess, Carbuncles, Boils
-Skin diseases including Leprosy
-Snake Bite, Dog Bites, Food Poisoning,

4. Moves the Blood, Stops Bleeding:
-retention of the Placenta; contracts Uterus
-Postpartum Bleeding
-Threatened Miscarriage
-Hemorrhoids
-Bradycardia

5. Astringes to Stop Leakage:
-Diabetes
-Spermatorrhea, Seminal Emission

6. Externally:
-herbs is applied as a paste to fluid swellings
-Ear infection, the juice is instilled in the ear
-applied to skin diseases


DOSE:
Of the prepared root: 3–6 grams
For Worms, 2 spoonfuls of the root juice has been used.
A spoonful of the powder has been taken for Constipation

COMMENT:
1. Should not be confused with Costus root, Saussurea lappa. Numerous sources have listed C. speciosus as a source for Ru rta, the 'true' Costus, Saussurea lappa. it is uncertain if, perhaps, the root has been used as a substitute for Costus.
2. Pushkamula is Inula racemosa in Ayurveda. It would appear this is one of the Tibetan names derived from Ayurvedic sources. The fact that Inula and Saussurea species are closely related and are often viewed as different types of the same medicine (ie. Sweet and Bitter Costus in the West) suggests that maybe C. speciosus has been used as a synonym or source for Costus in the past.

Main Combinations:

Major Formulas:

Cautions:
1. Use cautiously during Pregnancy. It is strongly ecbolic but has been used for Threatened Miscarriage.

Main Preparations used:

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  • Home
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  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
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