Many herbal remedies individually or in combination have been recommended in various medical treatises for the cure of different diseases. Medicinal plants have served as nature’s gift to make disease free healthy life.The genus Costus Linn. Belongs to family Costaceae, which has been separated from family Zingiberaceae on the basis of the presence of spirally arranged leaves and rhizomes being free from aromatic essential oils. This family includes 4 genera and 100 species. In south India Costaceae is represented by one genus and four species, including three exotic ornamentals. The diverse phytoconstituents and various medicobiological uses of the plants belonging to this genus are reviewed here.