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Karpasa Moola

Gossypium herbaceum

Karpasa Moola (Gossypium herbaceum) is a plant drug, also called Karpasah and Kapasa. Decoction form pre-hydrolyzes glycosides improving aglycone absorption. Milk as Anupana (vehicle) enhances lipophilic constituent absorption and provides buffering action. Gossypol content in roots is significantly lower than seeds.

Key facts
Botanical nameGossypium herbaceum
FamilyMalvaceae · other entries in this family
OrderMalvales
Also known asKarpasa Moola, KarpasaMoola
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3152658 · Wikidata Q177615 · NCBI Taxonomy 34274
Names in other languages
Sanskritकार्पासः (kārpāsaḥ)
Hindiकपास (kapāsa)
Tamilபருத்தி

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, KARPASA monograph (Gossypium herbaceum Linn.), Tamil slot "Parutti kkoottam"; MMPND Gossypium page gives Parutti/Nattupparutti/Talipparutti/Venparutti; MMPND Gossypium page, Hindi "Kapas, Rui"; API's KARPASA monograph Hindi slot "Kapasa, Binaula"; MMPND Gossypium page, Sanskrit "Karpasa, Karpasah, Karpasaha"; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India monograph headed KARPASA for Gossypium herbaceum Linn.. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 1861 to 2024, 10 with a DOI.

  • 1Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 11Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishKarpasa Moola

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)MadhuraPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)SnigdhaPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)UshnaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)MadhuraPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (root powder), Kashayam (decoction), Kwatha (concentrated decoction), Capsule, Phanta (hot infusion)

Standard Dosage: 3-6 g root powder twice daily with warm milk; 50-100 mL decoction twice daily

Optimal Timing: After meals with warm milk for galactagogue and uterine tonic applications; before meals for digestive indications

Storage: Store in airtight containers at 15-30°C. Protect from moisture and insect infestation. Root material is prone to fungal contamination. Monitor aflatoxin levels.

Marker Compounds: Gossypetin, Herbacetin, Betaine, Beta-sitosterol, Gossypol (trace, must be quantified), Friedelin

Synergistic Combinations

  • Ashoka bark for uterine tonic synergy
  • Shatavari for galactagogue enhancement
  • Dashamoola for anti-inflammatory root combination
  • Bala for strength and uterine support

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews1

  1. 2006. Gossypium PMID 29999788

Laboratory and animal studies11

  1. Sushma, Kumar U, Tiwari VK and others. 2024. Physio-morphological and molecular characterization of ethyl methanesulfonate-derived mutant population of Gossypium herbaceum L. cv. (Wagad) for drought tolerance3 Biotech. PMID 39310032 · doi:10.1007/s13205-024-04089-1
  2. Ramaraj T, Grover CE, Mendoza AC and others. 2023. The Gossypium herbaceum L. Wagad genome as a resource for understanding cotton domesticationG3 (Bethesda, Md.). PMID 36454094 · doi:10.1093/g3journal/jkac308
  3. Yin X, Zhan R, He Y and others. 2020. Morphological description of a novel synthetic allotetraploid(A1A1G3G3) of Gossypium herbaceum L.and G.nelsonii Fryx. suitable for disease-resistant breeding applicationsPloS one. PMID 33270669 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242620
  4. Huang G, Wu Z, Percy RG and others. 2020. Genome sequence of Gossypium herbaceum and genome updates of Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium hirsutum provide insights into cotton A-genome evolutionNature genetics. PMID 32284579 · doi:10.1038/s41588-020-0607-4
  5. Wu Y, Chen D, Zhu S and others. 2017. A New Sythetic Hybrid (A1D5) between Gossypium herbaceum and G. raimondii and Its Morphological, Cytogenetic, Molecular CharacterizationPloS one. PMID 28187145 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0169833
  6. Montes E, Coriton O, Eber F and others. 2017. Assessment of Gene Flow Between Gossypium hirsutum and G. herbaceum: Evidence of Unreduced Gametes in the Diploid ProgenitorG3 (Bethesda, Md.). PMID 28546386 · doi:10.1534/g3.117.041509
  7. Cui X, Liu F, Liu Y and others. 2015. Construction of cytogenetic map of Gossypium herbaceum chromosome 1 and its integration with genetic mapsMolecular cytogenetics. PMID 25628758 · doi:10.1186/s13039-015-0106-y
  8. Liu Q, Chen Y, Chen Y and others. 2015. A new synthetic allotetraploid (A1A1G2G2) between Gossypium herbaceum and G. australe: bridging for simultaneously transferring favorable genes from these two diploid species into upland cottonPloS one. PMID 25879660 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123209
  9. Ranjan A, Sawant S. 2015. Genome-wide transcriptomic comparison of cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) leaf and root under drought stress3 Biotech. PMID 28324561 · doi:10.1007/s13205-014-0257-2
  10. Jena SN, Srivastava A, Rai KM and others. 2012. Development and characterization of genomic and expressed SSRs for levant cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.)TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik. PMID 22038488 · doi:10.1007/s00122-011-1729-y
  11. 1861. Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton)Atlanta medical and surgical journal. PMID 35826480

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.