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Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) notes under the entry for "Wood Cotton": There are two types of cotton; those resembling trees are named Gubei, now erroneously called Jibei; those resembling herbs are named Guzong, now commonly referred to as Mianhua (Cotton), which is Caomian (Herb Cotton).

Verification: Dai Zui Bian (Records of Drunkenness) states that cotton seeds were introduced by the foreign envoy Huang Shi, entering the Jiangnan region only at the end of the Song Dynasty. Shen Huangmen stated: In foreign lands, there are green, yellow, and white varieties; currently, only the white variety is transmitted. It is unknown that herb cotton is widely cultivated in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, while wood cotton is rare. Even among herb cottons, there are yellow ones, not exclusively white. For medicinal use, the white variety is superior. Bencao Gangmu mentions Mianhua You (Cottonseed Oil) but does not record the functions of the flower and seed; these are fully supplemented here.

Baicao Jing (Mirror of Hundred Herbs) records: The flower can stop bleeding; the husk can treat Ge syndrome (a condition characterized by obstruction in the chest/diaphragm or difficulty swallowing). For Ge Shi (food obstruction) and Ge Qi (qi stagnation in the diaphragm), use cotton husks, harvested in the eighth and ninth lunar months, in any quantity, decocted and drunk as tea.

Yaoxing Kao (Examination of Drug Properties) records: Caomian (Herb Cotton) is sweet and warm, dispelling cold and driving away chill; burnt to ash, it stops bleeding; applied externally, it stabilizes frostbite injuries. The seed is hot and tonifies deficiency, warming the waist and treating damage; Cottonseed Oil is toxic, causing blurred vision; applied topically, it treats tinea and scabies.

[Seed]: Nature is hot, flavor is pungent. Treating Changfeng (wind affecting the intestines, manifesting as rectal bleeding): Shengji Kuhai (Sea of Bitterness for Saving Lives) records: Mianzi Wan (Cotton Seed Pill). Take cotton seeds, stir-fry until yellow-black, remove shells, and grind into powder. Use thick rice soup, add dark brown sugar, and form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take three qian with boiling water on an empty stomach daily; taking up to three jin will eradicate the root cause. Secret Recipe for Changhong (intestinal redness/bleeding): Jiyan (Collected Experiences) records: Stir-fry cotton seeds, grind into powder, mix with white sugar and rice soup, and take orally. Unceasing Xuelin (blood strangury): Xu's Formula records: Dry-stir-fry and grind into fine powder; take two qian delivered by Sanbaijiu (three-white liquor); bleeding stops immediately. White leukorrhea with sand-like discharge: Shengji Kuhai, Menstrual Regulation section records: Use Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) in Xiangfu San (Cyperi Rhizoma Powder). Red and white leukorrhea: Baicao Jing records: Stir-fry cotton seeds until black, remove shell, grind into powder, make pills with rice paste. Take three qian per dose. Deliver red discharge with sugar water; deliver white discharge with white sugar water. Best Formula for Conceiving: Use three qian each of cotton seeds and brown sugar, taken mixed with wine. Fumigation and Washing for Hemorrhoids: Fu Xin Fang (Formula from Fu Xin) records: Equal parts of Guimantou (Ghost Bun), cotton seeds, Wulingke (Black Water Chestnut Shell), and Fengweicao (Pteris Multifida Decoction). Decoct and fumigate then wash. If painful, add Ruxiang (Frankincense); if itchy, add Yangliuxu (Willow Catkins) or Muleengteng (Macleaya Stem). Another Formula: Decoct cotton seeds with Huaimugengye (Styphnolobium Japonicum Stem and Leaf) for washing and fumigation; self-heals. Unceasing Rectal Bleeding and Beng Lou (Metrorrhagia): Baicao Jing records: Burn cotton seeds to ash retaining properties; take with wine; stops immediately. Bi Du (Inguinal Abscess): Jishi Fang (World-Saving Formula) records: Burn cotton seeds on a tile to ash retaining properties, grind into powder. Take two qian with wine on an empty stomach daily; complete resolution after three doses; also treats metrorrhagia. Impotence: Zhu's Effective Formula records: Soak cotton seeds in water, dry, stir-fry with strong liquor, remove shell, use kernel half a jin. Pogu Zhi (Psoraleae Fructus) stir-fried with salt water, Leijiu Zi (Trichosanthes Kirilowii Seed) stir-fried, each two liang. Grind into powder, make pills with scallion juice the size of paulownia seeds. Take two qian with wine on an empty stomach. Dysentery: Shengji Kuhai records: Stir-fry Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) on a new tile to remove oil and char, grind finely. Take two qian per dose. For bloody dysentery, deliver with Dengxin Cao (Acorus Tenuifolius) decoction; for white dysentery, deliver with aged good wine. Mianhua Chuang (Cotton Sore): Jiyan records: Use one dou of cotton seeds, mix with strong liquor, stir-fry until dry, remove ash, mix again and stir-fry until black. Remove shell, stir-fry again, grind into powder, mix with brown sugar. Take three qian per dose; after consuming approximately one sheng, it heals. Eliminating Body Lice: Yitang Yanfang (Effective Formula from Yitang) records: Mix sulfur powder with cotton seeds, burn to smoke and fumigate two or three times; lice are eradicated. Stroke with Deviated Mouth and Eyes: Bianyi Liangfang (Good and Easy Formula) records: Stir-fry cotton seeds until black, grind into powder. Mix with three qian of Ruxiang (Frankincense) powder and two liang of brown sugar. Take with yellow wine after meals; heals immediately. Changfeng Xiaxue (Intestinal Wind with Rectal Bleeding): Bu Yao Liangfang (Good Formula Without Medicine) records: Two raw persimmons. Cut off calyx and core with a bamboo knife. Stuff with cotton seeds. Cover well. Burn on a tile to ash retaining properties. Grind into fine powder. Take with hot rice drink. Severe cases heal completely after three doses. Anal Ulcer, colloquially called Toufen Laoshu (Stealing Feces Mouse): Bu Yao Liangfang records: Stir-fry cotton seeds, remove shell, grind into powder. Make paste and take one bowl three times daily (morning, noon, evening). Heals completely in half a month. Treating Asymmetrical Enlargement of Testicles: Huisheng Ji records: Decoct cotton seeds, pour hot liquid into a jar. Sit the scrotum over the jar mouth. Wait for liquid to cool. One or two sessions dissipate cold qi; self-heals. Paralysis and Various Wind Syndromes: Yixue Zhinan (Medical Guide) records: Three qian each of Ruxiang (Frankincense) and Moyao (Myrrh); six qian each of cotton seeds and white sugar. Grind into powder. Dissolve in yellow wine and take. Sweating indicates cure. Toothache due to Wind-Worms: Jiabao Fang (Family Treasure Formula) records: One liang each of Leijiu Zi (Chives Seed), Hei Hetao Rou (Black Walnut Meat), and cotton seeds. Grind into powder. Make pills with vinegar paste. Soak in fire liquor. Chew and hold against the painful area; pain stops immediately. Fistula: Jiabao Fang records: Six liang Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel), six liang Wu Mei (Mume Fruit). Pound together into a paste and form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take three qian morning and evening with boiled water; heals upon completion. Unceasing Menstrual Flow: Cihang Huoren Shu (Book of Cihang Saving People) records: Stir-fry cotton seeds in a clay vessel until smoke ceases. Grind into powder. Take two qian with yellow wine on an empty stomach. Hematuria: Liu Yuyi's Empirical Formula records: Stir-fry cotton seeds until charred but retaining properties. Grind into powder. Take with hot strong liquor. After ingestion, moxa-convolute a bean-sized moxa cone on the hairy area of the joint of the left big toe; bleeding stops immediately. Unceasing Night Sweats: Liu's Empirical Formula records: Three to four qian of Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel). Decoct in one bowl of water daily. Take on an empty stomach; stops within three to four days. Critical Changfeng and Changhong Bleeding: Desheng Tang Formula records: One sheng of Huaicai Mianhe (Huai Cotton Seed), seven qian Huaimi (Sophora Flower). Infuse four liang of Tianmu Yacha (Tianmu Bud Tea) in water. Stir-fry the first two ingredients until dry, soak in tea infusion, stir-fry again. Repeat several times until liquid is dry. Grind into powder. Take three qian with wine on an empty stomach; heals in three days. Treating Gingival Recession: Lantai Guifan (Standard of the Imperial Clinic) records: Rub with ash of cotton seeds. Treating Engorged Breast (Chu Ru): Lang Xingzu's Formula records: One liang of cotton seeds. Crush. Decoct with wine and water; take orally. Large Formula for Scrotal/Testicular Swelling: Jiyan records: Decoct Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) and wash; self-heals. Metrorrhagia: Gong Yunlin's Wanbing Huichun (Ten Thousand Diseases Return to Spring) records: Stir-fry Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) until yellow. Equal parts Gancao (Licorice Root) and Huangqin (Scutellaria Root). Grind into powder. Take two qian with yellow wine on an empty stomach. Another Jiyan Liangfang (Excellent Collected Formula) records: Chen Zong (Old Palm Spadix) and cotton seeds. Burn to ash retaining properties. Take with yellow wine; stops immediately. Deficiency Consumption, Chronic Cough with Unceasing Hemoptysis: Jixiao Fang records: Cotton seeds, any quantity. Soak overnight in Tongbian (Child's Urine). Grind into powder. Take one qian per dose with Ce Bai Ye (Biota Tops) decoction. When other medicines fail, this formula is very effective. Taken with wine, it treats metrorrhagia. Jiting records: Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) stops bleeding without being cold. For all blood syndromes and women's menstrual disorders, leukorrhea, and flooding, stir-fry seven times with vinegar before use. Heart Pain and Abdominal Pain: Jiting records: Soak Ce Bai Ye (Biota Tops) in Mi Jiang Shui (Rice Wash Water) for three days, changing water once daily. Dry and stir-fry until black. Mix one jin of Mianzi Ren powder with eight liang of Ce Bai powder. If heat is severe, adjust proportions equally. Formula for Conceiving: Jiting records: Four liang of pure Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) meat. Mix with strong liquor and sun-dry three times. Two liang of Shudi (Prepared Rehmannia Root), one liang each of Gouqi Zi (Goji Berry), Tusizi (Dodder Seed), Pogu Zhi (Psoralea Fruit), Fuling (Poria), Shanyao (Chinese Yam), Chenpi (Aged Tangerine Peel), Wuweizi (Schisandra Fruit), Lianqiao (Forsythia Fruit), and Heshouwu (Polygonum Multiflorum Root). Make honey pills. Take four qian with salt water on an empty stomach. Fistula Tract: Zhou's Jiabao Fang (Family Treasure Formula) records: Stir-fry Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel), stir-fry Jixingzi (Carthamus Seed), stir-fry Bamazi Ren (Castor Bean Kernel). Equal parts. Grind into powder. Take three qian with good wine on an empty stomach. Mild cases resolve in half a month; severe cases in one month; tract recedes spontaneously. Unceasing Bleeding: Jiabao Fang records: Burn cotton seeds to ash retaining properties. Grind into powder and apply topically. Flooding and Leukorrhea: Jiabao Fang records: Five qian of Chen Lianpeng (Old Lotus Pod) burnt to ash retaining properties; three qian of Mianhua Zi Rou (Cotton Seed Flesh) burnt to ash retaining properties. Take as one dose, mixed with non-grain alcohol. Treating Hemiplegia due to Phlegm-Fire and Bone/Joint Pain: Two liang each of Hetao Ren (Walnut Kernel), Mianhua Zi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel), Chao Duzhong (Stir-fried Eucommia Bark), Bajin (Morinda Root), Sharen (Amomum Fruit), Gusuibu (Drynaria Rhizome), Gouqizi (Goji Berry), Xuduan (Dipsacus Root), Niuxi (Achyranthes Root). Four liang of large dried shrimp. Four liang of Tusibi (Dodder Cake). Decoct in twenty jin of strong liquor and take. For elderly patients, add one liang each of Fuzi (Aconite Root) and Rougui (Cinnamon Bark). After finishing the liquor, dry the dregs, grind into fine powder, make pills with refined honey. Take two qian with wine.

Da Lao'er Wan (Anti-Aging Pill): Liangpeng Huiji Formula records: Long-term use extends life and prevents disease. One jin of cotton seeds, stir-fried and shelled. Four liang of walnut meat, pounded. Make pills using millet flour paste. Weight three qian. Take with boiling water.

Xianchuan Pantao Wan (Immortal Transmitted Peach Pill): Passed down by Woyun Shanshen, greatly tonifying, treating various deficiencies and hundred damages. Take pure Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel), thoroughly mix with dry strong liquor. Steam over a water level of yellow wine for the duration of one incense stick. Cook red dates in yellow wine until soft, take pure flesh. Each weighs one jin. Dangshen (Codonopsis Root), Niuxi (Achyranthes Root), Gouqi (Goji Berry) soaked in wine. Rousongrong (Cistanche Stem) washed clean with wine. Shanzhuyu (Cornus Fruit) moistened with wine, pitted. Tusizi (Dodder Seed) steamed with wine into cakes. Baiyubiao (Fish Bladder) stir-fried with bran until bubbly. Bai Fuling (White Poria) steamed with human milk. Pogu Zhi (Psoralea Fruit) stir-fried with salt water. Shudi (Prepared Rehmannia) boiled in wine until syrupy. All above medicines, four liang net weight each. Bajin (Morinda Root) washed with wine, heart removed, five liang. Grind all into fine powder. Make pills with refined honey, three qian each. Take morning and evening with wine or water as desired.

Mianhua Zi Wan (Cotton Seed Pill): Nian Xiyao's Jiyan Liangfang (Excellent Collected Formula) records: Blackens hair, warms kidneys, aids conception. Suitable for people with Yang deficiency. Use ten-plus jin of cotton seeds. Pour boiling water over them, place in a hemp sack, let steam for the duration of one incense stick, then remove. Sun-dry until shells crack. Extract kernels, remove outer skin. Use three jin of pure kernels. Press to remove oil completely. Soak in three jin of fire liquor overnight. Remove, steam for three incense sticks, then dry. One jin of Pogu Zhi (Psoralea Fruit), soak in salt water overnight, stir-fry until dry. One jin of Chuan Duzhong (Sichuan Eucommia Bark), remove rough outer bark, soak in yellow wine overnight, dry, stir-fry with ginger juice to remove fibers. One jin of Gouqizi (Goji Berry), soak in yellow wine, steam, dry. One jin of Tusizi (Dodder Seed), boil in wine until silk exudes. Grind all into powder. Make honey pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take two to three qian per dose.

Changchun Wan (Eternal Spring Pill): Treats Kidney Deficiency with Cold Essence: Jiyan Liangfang records: One jin of Yubiao (Fish Bladder), stir-fried with Ge Fen (Clam Powder) until extremely charred pearls. One jin of pure Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel), oil removed, steamed with wine. Eight liang of Bailianxu (White Lotus Stamen). One jin of Jin Yingzi (Cherokee Rose Hip), cleaned of seeds and hairs. Eight liang of Jincha Shihu (Gold-Hilted Dendrobium). Four liang of stir-fried Jili (Caltrop Seed). Four liang of Gouqizi (Goji Berry). Four liang of Wuweizi (Schisandra Fruit). Five jin of stir-fried Lu Jiao (Deer Antler), sawed into thin slices, boiled in river water for three days and nights. Remove antlers, collect juice, boil into paste. Mix with medicine powder to form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take three qian per dose.

Jianbu Xianfang (Divine Formula for Agile Steps): Lingyun Ji records: One jin of pure Mianzi Ren (Cotton Seed Kernel) meat. Stir-fry dry with three jin of strong liquor. Four liang of Gouqizi (Goji Berry), soaked in wine. Four liang of Duzhong (Eucommia Bark), boiled and stir-fried with salt wine. Four liang of Tusizi (Dodder Seed), stir-fried with wine. Two liang of Dangshen (Codonopsis Root). Four liang of Pogu Zhi (Psoralea Fruit), washed with wine and stir-fried. Four liang of Hutaoren (Walnut Kernel). Grind all into powder. Make honey pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take three qian with boiling water on an empty stomach.