botanical record · discovered
Cus-Cus
Vetiveria zizanioides
Cus-Cus · Vetiver · Cuscus Grass
At a glance
Origin / distribution: India(Santal), Egypt, English, Haiti, Trinidad, India, Venezuela, Asia
Cultural traditions: not documented
Recorded uses: Antidote(Scorpion)(Veterinary), Boil(Veterinary), Burn(Veterinary), Carminative(Veterinary)
Science studied: D-ALPHA-AMORPHENE, BENZOIC-ACID, BICYCLODECENONE, 7:3-CADALENE
Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗
Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.
Names and identity
Family: Poaceae
Scientific name: Vetiveria zizanioides
Common names: Cus-Cus, Vetiver, Cuscus Grass
History
The source record documents this plant in India(Santal), Egypt, Elsewhere, English, Haiti, Trinidad, India, Venezuela and 9 additional places.
It records these historical or traditional applications:
- Antidote(Scorpion)(Veterinary)
- Boil(Veterinary)
- Burn(Veterinary)
- Carminative(Veterinary)
- Colic(Veterinary)
- Diaphoretic(Veterinary)
- Diuretic(Veterinary)
- Emmenagogue(Veterinary)
show 35 more documented entries
- Expectorant(Veterinary)
- Fever(Veterinary)
- Hepatitis(Veterinary)
- Repellant(Insect)
- Malaria(Veterinary)
- Mouth(Veterinary)
- Nausea(Veterinary)
- Perfume(Veterinary)
- Pleurisy(Veterinary)
- Refrigerant(Veterinary)
- Spasm(Veterinary)
- Sprain(Veterinary)
- Stimulant(Veterinary)
- Stomachic(Veterinary)
- Sudorific(Veterinary)
- Vermifuge(Veterinary)
- Yellow Fever(Veterinary)
- Bite(Snake)(Veterinary)
- Cosmetic
- Epilepsy(Veterinary)
- Flu(Veterinary)
- Repellant(Insect)(Veterinary)
- Parasiticide(Veterinary)
- Sore(Veterinary)
- Swelling(Veterinary)
- Tumor(Abdomen)(Veterinary)
- Cosmetic(Veterinary)
- Excitant(Veterinary)
- Parturition
- Rheumatism(Veterinary)
- Stomatitis(Veterinary)
- Detersive(Veterinary)
- Lumbago(Veterinary)
- Soap(Veterinary)
- Tonic(Veterinary)
This summary is limited to the cited source record.
Origins and distribution
- India(Santal)
- Egypt
- Elsewhere
- English
- Haiti
- Trinidad
- India
- Venezuela
- Asia
- Danish
- Sanscrit
- Malaysia
show 5 more documented entries
- Java
- German
- Malaya
- Dominican Republic
- French
Documented cultural uses
- Antidote(Scorpion)(Veterinary)
- Boil(Veterinary)
- Burn(Veterinary)
- Carminative(Veterinary)
- Colic(Veterinary)
- Diaphoretic(Veterinary)
- Diuretic(Veterinary)
- Emmenagogue(Veterinary)
- Expectorant(Veterinary)
- Fever(Veterinary)
- Hepatitis(Veterinary)
- Repellant(Insect)
show 31 more documented entries
- Malaria(Veterinary)
- Mouth(Veterinary)
- Nausea(Veterinary)
- Perfume(Veterinary)
- Pleurisy(Veterinary)
- Refrigerant(Veterinary)
- Spasm(Veterinary)
- Sprain(Veterinary)
- Stimulant(Veterinary)
- Stomachic(Veterinary)
- Sudorific(Veterinary)
- Vermifuge(Veterinary)
- Yellow Fever(Veterinary)
- Bite(Snake)(Veterinary)
- Cosmetic
- Epilepsy(Veterinary)
- Flu(Veterinary)
- Repellant(Insect)(Veterinary)
- Parasiticide(Veterinary)
- Sore(Veterinary)
- Swelling(Veterinary)
- Tumor(Abdomen)(Veterinary)
- Cosmetic(Veterinary)
- Excitant(Veterinary)
- Parturition
- Rheumatism(Veterinary)
- Stomatitis(Veterinary)
- Detersive(Veterinary)
- Lumbago(Veterinary)
- Soap(Veterinary)
- Tonic(Veterinary)
Cultural record detail
These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.
- Antidote(Scorpion)(Veterinary) · India(Santal) · "
- Boil(Veterinary) · India(Santal) · "
- Burn(Veterinary) · India(Santal) · "
- Carminative(Veterinary) · Egypt · "
- Carminative(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Colic(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Diaphoretic(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Diuretic(Veterinary) · English · "
- Emmenagogue(Veterinary) · Haiti · "
- Expectorant(Veterinary) · Trinidad · "
- Fever(Veterinary) · Trinidad · "
- Hepatitis(Veterinary) · India · "
- Repellant(Insect) · Venezuela · "
- Malaria(Veterinary) · India(Santal) · "
- Mouth(Veterinary) · India(Santal) · "
- Nausea(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Perfume(Veterinary) · Asia · "
- Pleurisy(Veterinary) · Trinidad · "
- Refrigerant(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Refrigerant(Veterinary) · Danish · "
- Spasm(Veterinary) · Egypt · "
- Sprain(Veterinary) · Elsewhere · "
- Stimulant(Veterinary) · Haiti · "
- Stomachic(Veterinary) · Sanscrit · "
29 additional documented entries remain in the source record.
Contemporary uses
Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.
Scientific research
Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.
Indexed research records
- Vetiveria zizanioides attenuates proliferation, migration, and metastasis of human cervical cancer: In vitro and In Silico analysis · 2026 source ↗
- In vivo and insilico toxicity studies of hydroalcoholic extract of Vetiveria zizanioides roots. · 2025 source ↗
- A New nor-Sesquiterpene, Khusynoic Acid and Other Non-Volatile Anticancer Compounds From Vetiveria zizanioides Root. · 2026 source ↗
Scientific compounds
Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.
- D-ALPHA-AMORPHENE
- BENZOIC-ACID
- BICYCLODECENONE
- 7:3-CADALENE
- CADINANE-SESQUITERPENES
- L-GAMMA-CADINENE
- L-GAMMA-2-CADINENE
- CARBOHYDRATES
- DELTA-3-CARENE
- CYCLOCOPACAMPHENIC-ACID
- CYCLOCOPACAMPHENOL
- P-CYMENE
- N-EICOSANE
- EO
- EPICYCLOCOPACAMPHENIC-ACID
- EPIZIZANAL
show 86 more documented entries
- EPIZIZANOIC-ACID
- EUDESMOL
- FIBER
- FRUCTOSE
- GLUCOSE
- HEMICELLULOSE
- ISOKHUSENIC-ACID
- ISOKHUSINOL
- ISOVALENCENIC-ACID
- ISOVETISELINENOL
- BETA-ISOVETISPIRENE
- KHUSENE
- KHUSENOL
- KHUSILAL
- KHUSIMYL-ACETATE
- KHUSINOLOXIDE
- KHUSITOL
- KHISONE
- LAEVOJUNEOL
- PALMITIC-ACID
- SELINA-4(14),7(17)-DIENE
- SUCROSE
- VETICADINOL
- VETISELINENE
- VETISELINENOL
- VETIVENE
- ALPHA-VETIVENE
- GAMMA-VETIVENE
- ALPHA-VETIVENENE
- VETIVENOLENE
- VETIVENONE
- VETIVENYL-VETIVENATE
- BETA-VETIVONE
- ZIZANAL
- ZIZANOIC-ACID
- ZIZANOL
- FAT
- ISOVETIVONE
- VETIVEROLS
- ASH
- BHARATPUROL-II
- L-DELTA-CADINOL
- ISOVALENCENOL
- KETONES
- KHUSIMENE
- KHUSINOL
- KHUSOL
- LAEVOJUNESSOL
- PHOSPHORUS
- ALPHA-VETISPIRENE
- ALLO-KHUSINOL
- BHARATPUROL-I
- CADINA-9,11(12_OR_13)-DIENE
- ALPHA-CALACORANE
- CYCLOCOPACAMPHENE
- DIACETYL
- EPIKHUSINOL
- EUDESMANE-SESQUITERPENES
- GLYCEROL
- ISOBISABOLENE
- ISOKHUSINOL-OXIDE
- ALPHA-ISOVETIVENENE
- KHUSIMONE
- KHUSIOL
- KHUSITONE
- SESQUITERPENE-KETONES
- BETA-VETISPIRINE
- BETA-VETIVENE
- BETA-VETIVENENE
- ALPHA-VETIVONE
- ZIZANENE
- CALCIUM
- NORKHUSINOL-OXIDE
- CADINA-7-11(12_OR_13)-DIENE
- (+)-KHUSITENE
- TRICYCLOVETIVENE
- ELEMOL
- LIMONENE
- (-)-CADINANE
- 1,8-CINEOLE
- KHUSIMYL-ACID
- LINALOOL
- ALPHA-PINENE
- BETA-PINENE
- TERPINEN-4-OL
- ALPHA-TERPINEOL
Legality
No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.
Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.
Reference images
Sources
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0
show claim source mapping
CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive
Contributions and revisions
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