Kapasa: Benefits, Uses & Dosage

You probably know cotton as the soft fiber in your clothes. In Ayurveda, the same plant is also a medicine, and the Bhavaprakash Nighantu singles out its root bark as a well-known herb for bringing in breast milk.

Kapasa (also written Karpasa) is Cotton, also called the Cotton Plant or Indian Cotton, botanically Gossypium herbaceum Linn. It is widely cultivated and grows 3 to 4 feet tall with yellow flowers. In Hindi it is known as Kapas or Rui.

Three parts of the plant are used medicinally: the seeds, the root bark and the fiber. The root bark decoction is used to promote lactation, the seed oil is used in Vata disorders and for cooking, and the fiber itself is used in wound dressing.

The fiber also turns up throughout the classical texts as a practical tool. The Sushruta Samhita, Astanga Hridaya and Charaka Samhita all describe cotton swabs, pads and oil-soaked cotton used in treatments and surgical care.

Cotton's classical properties explain most of its uses. It has a sweet taste (Madhura Rasa), an unctuous, oily quality (Snigdha Guna), a heavy quality (Guru Guna) and a hot potency (Ushna Virya), meaning Ayurveda considers it warming.

Breast Milk Support

The Bhavaprakash Nighantu lists Cotton as a galactagogue (Stanyajanana), a substance said to promote breast milk. The root bark is the part used: its decoction is described as a well-known remedy for promoting lactation.

Calming Vata

Cotton is described as alleviating Vata (Vatahara). Vata is the dosha, or functional energy, of movement, and it is associated with dryness and cold. Ayurvedic reasoning holds that warm, oily, heavy substances counter those qualities.

Cotton seed oil is used medicinally in Vata disorders. The Charaka Samhita, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 28 (on Vata disorders) notes that an oil prepared with the decoction of cotton seeds and horse gram is also curative of Vata.

Earache

The Bhavaprakash Nighantu lists Cotton as relieving earache (Karnashoolahara), and our sources connect its seed oil with steadying ear disorders. The texts here do not describe how it was applied for this purpose.

Vitality

The seed oil is described as an aphrodisiac (Vrishya), a term for substances that support reproductive vitality.

Wound Care

Cotton fiber is used in wound dressing. The Astanga Hridaya describes wiping a wound with cotton wool and covering a cut vein with an oil-soaked cotton swab before bandaging.

The Bhavaprakash Nighantu gives doses for two internal forms: the seeds and a decoction (Kashaya) of the root bark, which is a tea made by simmering the bark in water. The seed oil and fiber are also used, but without a stated dose.

The Charaka Samhita also describes a medicated oil prepared with the decoction of cotton seeds and horse gram for Vata. The sources here do not give timing, a vehicle (Anupana) to take it with, or seasonal guidance.

Because the seeds carry specific safety concerns, work with a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner on any internal use.

The classical sources here give two specific safety points for Cotton, both about the seeds and bolls. Beyond those, they do not list contraindications, side effects or overdose signs.

Gossypol and Male Fertility

Cotton seed contains gossypol, which the Bhavaprakash Nighantu notes has contraceptive properties in males. Men who are trying to conceive should keep that in mind before taking cotton seed preparations.

Contamination

The same source warns that ergot-like contamination can occur on cotton bolls. This is a reason to be careful about the quality and source of any cotton plant material.

Ayurvedic Reasoning on Caution

Cotton is hot, heavy and oily. In Ayurvedic reasoning, such herbs are used with more care by people with excess heat, or with sluggish digestion and congestion.

Drug Interactions, Pregnancy and Nursing

No drug interactions are recorded in our sources, and they do not address pregnancy. Its traditional use to promote breast milk does not establish safety while nursing. Consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner or your doctor before use.

The classical sources here pair Cotton with very few other herbs, so this comparison stays close to what they actually say.

Our sources do not compare Cotton's strength with other galactagogues or Vata herbs, so a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner is the right person to help you choose between options.

The classical sources here say little about specific groups of people, apart from the root bark's traditional role in nursing and a caution about the seeds for men.

Pregnancy and Nursing

The sources do not address Cotton in pregnancy. Please consult a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner or your doctor before using it.

For nursing, the Bhavaprakash Nighantu describes the root bark decoction as a well-known remedy for promoting breast milk, at 1 to 2 tola (roughly 12 grams per tola). That tradition is not a safety assessment, so check with a professional first.

Men Trying to Conceive

Cotton seed contains gossypol, which is noted to have contraceptive properties in males. Men hoping to conceive should avoid cotton seed preparations unless a doctor advises otherwise.

Children

No guidance or dose for children is given in the sources we draw on. Consult a practitioner before giving it to a child.

Elderly

The sources do not discuss older adults. Its warm, oily nature is what Ayurveda associates with calming Vata, but its heavy quality can be hard to digest, so any use should be guided by a practitioner.