 |
|
|
|
| Latin Names |
English Name |
Sanskrit Name |
| Gossypium herbaceum
(Malvaceae) / Gossypium indicum
(Malvaceae) |
Cotton Plant |
Karpasa |
|
| |
|
|
| History |
|
It was an old world cotton plant, native
to India, having numerous varieties in this region. This plant
was mentioned in indigenous systems of medicine. It was mentioned
in literature outside India. It was mainly cultivated for its
lint. It was confused with the other species of cotton cultivated
in the old world.
|
|
| Habitat |
It is the most widespread of all the
species of old world cottons, being distributed throughout the
rain-fed savannah areas from Africa, through Arabia and India,
to China, Japan and East Indies.
|
|
|
|
| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
It includes perennial
or annual, monopodial or sympodial shrubs, bearing slender trailing
branches, which are often purplish in color. The stem, petiole and
leaves are moderately hairy to almost glabrous. The leaves are deeply
cut into 3-7 lobes, the lobes are ovate, oblong or curvilinear and
acute. The bracteoles are closely investing the bud and flower, triangular,
longer than broad, entire or with 3-4 coarse teeth. The flowers are
purple, red, yellow or white, with or without red blotch at the base
of petals. The capsules are tapering, profusely pitted, usually 3-4
locular, opening widely when ripe. The seeds are small, usually with
two coats of hairs. The lint is white, grey or brown fuzz green, grey
or white and uniformly distributed over the seed or confined to a
tuft at each end.
|
|
|
 |
| Principal
Constituents |
 Gossypin
was isolated from the flowers and gossypetin 8-rhamnoside was isolated
from the leaves.
|
|
|
| Pharmacology |
|
Gossypin shows analgesic
and anti-inflammatory activity1.
|
|
|
| Toxicology |
|
There is no adverse effect reported
on the use of this plant as medicine.
|
|
|
| Indications |
|
It is used as aphrodisiac and
in male sexual disorders. It is believed to increase the sexual function.
|
|
|
| Product
Range |
|
Diabecon, Himcolin.
|
|
|
| References |
|
- Harborne, 1999, Phytochemical Dictionary, Taylor & Francis
Ltd., London.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
