The main use of cotton lint is to produce
textiles for clothing. The fibres are spun into
yarns and these are woven into
fabrics, in the farm or house or in factories. Cotton as a fabric is much appreciated because of its comfortable, breathable properties, its resistance and also because it is easily stained. The cotton plant itself has medicinal uses, and can be cultivated traditionally, in house backyards, for, e.g., women's
menstrual cycle pains and irregular bleeding. It is also known to be used after birth to expel the
placenta and to increase the
lactation, as well as for
gastrointestinal issues, such as
hemorrhages and
diarrhea, for
nausea,
fevers and
headaches. In the
Levant seeds of
Gossypium herbaceum were also used for food, feed or oil extraction. Cotton seeds, containing up to 20% oil and 20% proteins, are potentially highly rich as food or feed. Nevertheless, small glands present in all the plant organs of the
Gossypium species, except the roots, and especially abundant in the seeds, contain toxic chemicals, in particular the
polyphenolic compound
gossypol. The gossypol is highly toxic to animals and is an element of the plant direct defence system against herbivorous arthropods. It can cause severe growth and development disorders in humans as well as domestic animals, particularly monogastric animals, while polygastrics are more or less tolerant. For this reason, using oil or whole seeds for human nutrition is dependent upon some way of elimination of the gossypol, through heating or other treatment. The gossypol extracted from cotton seeds has a potential use as a
male contraceptive but can cause irreversible
infertility after repeated use. In
lab rat studies, it has been able to
stop early pregnancies. == Gallery ==