Medico-historical review of drug Kustha

Abstract

Kustha is well known for its cures since ancient times. Atharvaveda considers this as a potent plant next to Soma (a divine plant) in curing several diseases. It is also called Takmanashana (which cures fevers) in Atharvaveda. It grows in Himalayas and Kasmir. In Ayurveda, root of Kustha is used for fevers, skin diseases, headache etc. Almost all Nighantus carry the description of Kustha with several synonyms. Some scholars consider two varieties of Kustha i.e. sweetish and bitter, but one with bitter taste is the real Kustha. Pushkarmool (Inula recemosa Hook.f.) is available in the market as sweet variety of Kustha. Thus its medico-historical importance and other details have been presented in this article.