An Update on Pharmacological and Phytochemical Aspects of Costus pictus D. Don - A Promising Anti-diabetic Plant

Background The genus Costus is the largest genus in the family Costaceae and encompasses about 150 known species. Among these, Costus pictus D. Don (Synonym: Costus mexicanus) is a traditional medicinal herb used to treat diabetes and other ailments. Currently, available treatment options in modern medicine have several adverse effects. Herbal medicines are gaining importance as they are cost-effective and display improved therapeutic effects with fewer side effects. Scientists have been seeking therapeutic compounds in plants, and various in vitro and in vivo studies report Costus pictus D. Don as a potential source in treating various diseases. Phytochemicals with various pharmacological properties of Costus pictus D. Don, viz. anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, diuretic, analgesic, and anti-microbial have been worked out and reported in the literature. Objective The aim of the review is to categorize and summarize the available information on phytochemicals and pharmacological properties of Costus pictus D. Don and suggest outlooks for future research. Methods This review combined scientific data regarding the use of Costus pictus D. Don plant for the management of diabetes and other ailments. A systematic search was performed on Costus pictus plant with anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and other pharmacological properties using several search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Sci-Finder, other online journals and books for detailed analysis. Results Research data compilation and critical review of the information would be beneficial for further exploration of its pharmacological and phytochemical aspects and, consequently, new drug development. Bioactivity-guided fractionation, isolation, and purification of new chemical entities from the plant as well as pharmacological evaluation of the same will lead to the search for safe and effective novel drugs for better healthcare. Conclusion This review critically summarizes the reports on natural compounds, and different extract of Costus pictus D. Don with their potent anti-diabetic activity along with other pharmacological activity. Since this review has been presented in a very interactive manner showing the geographical region of availability, parts of plant used, mechanism of action and phytoconstituents in different extracts of Costus pictus responsible for particular action, it will be of great importance to the interested readers to focus on the development of the new drug leads for the treatment of diseases.