Cotton

(Gossypium barbadense Linn.)

Qualities

Soft | Soothing | Lubricating

Taste

Pungent & Astringent, or Sweet

Cotton plant (Gossypium barbadense Linn.) is known as Karpasi in Sanskrit. The root and bark of cotton are used in Ayurvedic medicine, and both are considered warming, and their taste is pungent and astringent. Cotton seeds are also used, but their effect is cooling, and their taste is sweet.

The cotton plant is predominantly feminine in its qualities; its seeds are an excellent aphrodisiac and nourishing for the nerves, while the bark is used to treat amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycles). It is soft, white, and Sattvic, which makes it fantastic for treating anxiousness, constipation, dryness, and other Vata-related conditions. Ingesting cotton seeds or bark might be a bit strange, but you can wear more organic cotton to take on its healing energy.