What is "saussurea costus"

Pachak \Pa*chak"\, n. (Bot.) The fragrant roots of the Saussurea Costus, exported from India to China, and used for burning as incense. It is supposed to be the costus of the ancients. [Written also putchuck.]

costusroot \costusroot\ n. an annual herb ( Saussurea costus) of the eastern Himalayas (Kashmir) having purple florets and a fragrant root that yields a volatile oil used in perfumery and for preserving furs.

Syn: Saussurea costus, Saussurea lappa.

Saussurea costus, commonly known as costus or kuth, is a species of thistle in the genus Saussurea native to South Asia. Essential oils extracted from the root is used in traditional medicine and in perfumes since ancient times.

It has a large number of names in other languages, including kustha in Sanskrit; kust or qust in Arabic and Persian; kut, kur, and pachak in Hindi and Bengali, kostum, gostham, and potchuk in Tamil; upaleta and kur in Gujarati; kot or kust in Punjabi; changala in Telugu; sepuddy in Malayalam; kostha in Kannada; kuth or postkhai in Kashmiri; and kosht in Hebrew.