Cotton
Botanical Description & Habitat
Gossypium spp., gossypium hirsutum L., g. barbadense L., g. herbaceum.
Family
Malvaceae
Common Names
Cotton root bark
Habitat
Cultivated in many parts of the world, including the United States, Europe and India.
Medicinal Parts
Seed, bark of root
Historical Properties & Uses
Cotton seed has been used as a powerful agent to produce abortifacient, emmenagogue, oxytocic effects. Cotton and the fungus ergot are often used interchangeably. Both are dangerous to use, and should only be used on a physician's supervision. The seeds find a milder use as a soothing remedy for coughs.
Relatively recently, the active substance in cottonseed, gossypol, has found intensive use as a male antifertility compound in China.
Method of Action
Cotton Seed Is Good Source of Rutin
Cotton Seed Has Reasonably Good Antibiotic Properties.
Gossypol Has Distinct Male Antifertility Properties
Gossypol, a yellow, phenolic, dimeric sesquiterpene pigment obtained from raw cottonseed oil, is a reliable, orally administered, male contraceptive agent, acting after 4 to 5 weeks of treatment, without affecting the testosterone level.
Human studies on this action were carried out in China in the 1970's. The first English paper appeared in 1978. Many papers have been published since then. Thousands of men have been treated with gossypol in China.
The usual dose is 20mg daily for 60-70 days, followed by a maintenance dose of 60mg weekly. It produces a marked decrease in sperm counts in 99% of the cases.
The mechanism of action appears to involve enzyme inhibition in the sperm: -ATPase, lactate dehydrogenase isozyme X, adenylate cyclose, 5-lipoxygenase, prostaglandin synthetase, and protein kinase. It may interfere with formation of cyclo-oxygenase products in the lung in a manner similar to NDGA (from chaparral), and is therefore implicated in the inhibition of certain aspects of arachidonic acid metabolism, including certain leukotrienes and platelet activating factor.
There is some concern about the recovery of fertility in men using gossypol. What data there is indicates about 75% of normal subjects receiving the extract for a period ranging from 6 months to 4-1/2 years fully recover their normal fertility.
Cottonseed May Have Immunodepressive Actions
In high doses gossypol has been found to depress certain experimental measures of humoral immune response. It is unclear if these findings are relevant at normal dosage ranges.
Gossypol Has Shown Antitumor Activity
Gossypol is active against Lewis lung carcinoma, Walker's carcinosarcoma, and lymphocytic leukemia P380 in animal studies.
The British Pharmacopoeia lists "gossypium" from cotton root bark as an emmenagogue, for use in function amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, especially in cases of atonic and congestive dysmenorrhea.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
Known Interactions
This oxytocic-like action of cotton may produce neonatal jaundice which would interfere with serum bilirubin test results.
Possible Interactions
The oxytocic property of cotton in conjunction with vasoconstrictors such as ephedrine, methoxamine, phenylephrine orsympathomimetics may cause severe hypertension.
Citrates and tannates in conjunction with cotton may produce erratic and unpredictable results (because of oxytocic action).
Comments
There is evidence combining bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents will lower the effectiveness of the '-static' variety. How this finding applies to herbal antibiotics is not known.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Side effects attributed to gossypol treatment include gastrointestinal upset, fatigue, decreased libido, dizziness, dryness of mouth, and, to a lesser extent, sleepiness, palpitation, eyelid edema, decreased perspiration, skin rash and hypokalemia.
Gossypol is not mutagenic, but has shown some carcinogenic effects in certain kinds tests (e.g., mouse-skin painting test). There are indications the currently prescribed doses of gossypol are higher than necessary. Future research should address the subject of optimum dosage, with the objective in mind of achieving effectiveness at an ever decreasing risk of toxicity.
At high doses, gossypol exhibits some embryotoxic properties. Until this effect is further clarified by research, pregnant women should avoid use of cotton. H.W. Felter, an American eclectic physician maintained this product was oxytocic.
Preparation & Administration
Use three times daily
Liquid Extract
Use 2-4ml
Tincture
Use 2-4ml
References
Hamasaki, Y. & H.H. Tai. Gossypol: a potent inhibitor of arachidonate 5-and 12-lipoxygenases. Biochem. Biophys. Acta, 834, 37, 1985.
Kalla, N.R. & M. Vasuda. Studies on the male antifertility agent gossypol acetic acid II. Effect of gossypol acetic acid on the motility and at ATPase activity of human spermatozoa. Andrologica, 13, 95, 1981.
Kimura, Sakurada & Katoh. Inhibition of gossypol of phospholipid-sensitive calcium-dependent protein kinase from pig testis. Biochem. Biophys.Acta, 838, 276, 1985.
Liu, Liu, et. al. Clinical trial of gossypol as a male antifertility agent. Fen & Griffen. eds. Recent Advances in Fertility Regulation. Beijing, September 2-5, 1980, Geneva, Atar SA, 1981,pp. 160-163.
McFadzean, A.J.S. & R. Yeung. Periodic paralysis complicating thyrotoxicosis in China. British Med. Journal, 1:451, 1967.
Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Exper. Psych., Brigham Young University. Director of Nebo Institute of Herbal Sciences. Director of Behavior Change Agent Training Institute. Director of Research, Nova Corp.
Nadakavukaren, M., R. Sorensen & J. Tone. Effect of gossypol on the ultrastructure of rat spermatozoa. Cell Tissue Research, 204, 293, 1979.
Olgaiati, K., D. Toscano, W. Atkins & W. Toscano. Gossypol inhibition of bovine lactase. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 115, 180, 1983.
Prasad, M.R.N, E. Diczfalusy. Gossypol. Proceedings of the Second-International Congress Andrology. Tel Aviv, June 28-30, 1981.
Qian, S.Z, J.H. Hu, et.al. The first clinical trial of gossypol on male antifertility. P. Turner. ed. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, New York, MacMillan, 1981, pp. 489-492.
Reyes, J., J. Allen, N. Tanphaichitr, A.R. Bellve & D. Benos. Molecular mechanisms of gossypol action on lipid membranes. J. Biol Chem., 259, 9607-9615, 1984.
Sein, G.M & M. Phil. The embryotoxic and immunodepressive effects of gossypol. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 14(3- 4), 110-115, 1986.
Touvay, C., B. Vilain, J.M. Mencia-Huerta & P. Braquet. Effects of gossypol on guinea pig airway responsiveness: in vitro and in vivo studies. Phytotherapy Research, 1(2), 85-90, 1987.
Vichkavona, S.A. & L.V. Goryunova. Antibiotiki, 13, 828, 1968.
Vichkavona, Ojfa, & Goryunova, Antibiotiki, 15, 1071, 1970.
Wu. Study of antifertility action of cottonseed and the effective component gossypol. National Conference on Recent Advances of Family Planning Research, Beijing, 1972, pp. 5-20.
Xue, S. Studies on antifertility effect of gossypol, a new contraceptive for males. C.C. Fen & D. Griffen, eds. Recent Advances in Fertility Regulation. Beijing, September 2-5, 1980, Geneva, Atar SA, 1981, pp. 122.
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