INSULIN PLANT --Chamaecostus cuspidatus--

AKA "Spiral Flag", and known in Siddha medicine as "kostum". Native to Brazil, and cultivated in Kashmir and the Himalayas for its root, related to the ginger family. The dried leaves are used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat diabetes, and it is hypolipidemic, diuretic, antioxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-cancerous. The flower petals are edible, sweet and nutritious. Also great as a houseplant with gorgeous shiny leaves and orange blooms.