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.

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.

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.

Gossypin shows analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity¹.

There is no adverse effect reported on the use of this plant as medicine.

It is used as aphrodisiac and in male sexual disorders. It is believed to increase the sexual function.

Diabecon, Himcolin.

1. Harborne, 1999, Phytochemical Dictionary, Taylor & Francis Ltd., London.