What are the uses of cotton?

Cotton is an annual herb of Malvaceae, and its main and by-products have high utilization value. As the predecessors said, "the whole body of cotton is a treasure". It is not only the most important fiber crop, but also an important oil crop. It is also a food crop with high protein content, as well as textile, fine chemical raw materials and important strategic materials. Let's take a look at the uses of cotton.

Textile function

Cotton fiber can be made into a variety of fabrics, from light and transparent Barry yarn to thick canvas and thick velveteen, suitable for making all kinds of clothes, furniture cloth and industrial cloth, fast and wear-resistant, capable of washing and ironing at high temperature, comfortable to wear because of moisture absorption and dehumidification. Through other finishing processes, it can also make the cotton fabric anti-fouling, waterproof and mildew-proof, improve the wrinkle resistance of the fabric, make the cotton fabric less ironing or even without ironing, reduce the shrinkage of the fabric during washing, and make the shrinkage less than 1%.

Oil crops

Cottonseed is the seed of cotton in Malvaceae, and its commercial importance lies in its oil and other products. Cottonseed oil is used in salad oil and edible oil, hydrogenated into ghee and margarine, and the cake residue or kernel after oil extraction is used as feed for poultry and livestock. About 200 million gallons of cotton seed oil are used each year to produce foods such as French fries, butter and salad condiments.

Nectar plant

Cotton is divided into leaf veins, bracts and three kinds of nectaries in flowers, and the nectaries of leaf veins often secrete honey before flowering. The flowering period of cotton is from late July to early September in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, from early July to early August in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, and from mid-July to early September in Turpan. The honey flow period is about 40 days, and the optimum temperature for honey secretion is 35 ℃. * * Cotton areas generally produce 10kg to 30kg of honey, up to 150kg. In other cotton areas, due to the frequent application of pesticides during flowering, the bee injury was too heavy, and the utilization value of honey source was greatly reduced, and the group production was generally 10-20 kg. Since the 1980s, the area of cotton in China has increased rapidly, and biological control technology has been actively promoted in some provinces and regions, which has become the main source of honey in summer and autumn.

Medicinal value

The taste is sweet, warm and non-toxic.

[function] stop bleeding. Treatment of hematemesis, lower blood, avalanche, golden sore bleeding and other diseases.

[usage] Internal administration: calcined dispersant. External use: ash scattering.

1. Treat hematemesis and lower blood: cotton (ash burning), Fructus Aurantii, musk. Drink the rice.

2. Treatment of avalanche blood: cotton, blood ash, hundred grass cream, brown ash, lotus heart, Angelica sinensis, thatch flower, safflower, mud bag (burning), add musk deer (incense), under wine.