Borrowed from Sanskrit शुण्ठी (śuṇṭhī); see there for further etymology. Cognate with Malayalam ശുണ്ഠി (śuṇṭhi), Telugu శొంఠి (śoṇṭhi).
ശുംഠി (śuṇṭhi) (Kannada spelling ಶುಂಠಿ)