Gossypium. Gossypium herbaceum.

Synonym—Cotton.

CONSTITUENTS—

An acrid resin, glucose, starch, fixed oil, tannin.

PREPARATIONS—

Extractum Gossypii Radicis Fluidum. Fluid Extract of Cotton-root Bark. Dose, from one-half to one dram.

Specific Medicine Gossypium. Dose, from five to twenty minims.

Purified cotton (Surgeon's cotton), collodion.

Therapy—Gossypium is used as an emmenagogue and parturient.

It has a wide reputation among the slave women of the South as an abortifacient. It was used by them in the form of a strong infusion of the green root and is of value in suppression of the menses from whatever cause. It produces firm, regular and strong uterine contractions, much resembling ustilago maydis and cimicifuga in its action. It may be used in uterine inertia to increase the natural expulsive power of the womb and prevent the dangers of post-partum hemorrhage. It is a hemostatic of some power being used principally to control the hemorrhage of uterine fibroids and incipient cancer. It is a valuable agent for metrorrhagia and menorrhagia, but is not in general use, as the uterine tonics and stimulants in common use accomplish these results in their wider beneficial influence.

The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy, 1919, was written by Finley Ellingwood, M.D.
It was scanned by Michael Moore for the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.