Scientific name: Ricinus communis

Common names: Castor, Palma Christi, Ricin, Wonder Tree, Krapata, Djarak, Reer.

Sanskrit name: Eranda

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Plant part used: Castor Leaves, Castor Seeds, Castor Roots, Castor Oil

General Description: Coarse perennial, 10–13 m tall in the tropics, with the stem 7.5–15 cm in diam., but usually behaves as an annual in the temperate regions 1–3 m tall; stems succulent, herbaceous, very variable in all aspects; leaves alternate, orbicular, palmately compound, 1–6 dm broad, with 6–11 toothed lobes, glabrous; flowers numerous in long inflorescences, with male flowers at the base and female flowers at the tips; petals absent in both sexes, sepals 3–5, greenish; stamens numerous, 5–10 mm long; ovary superior, 3-celled with a short style and 3 stigmas; fruit a globose capsule 2.5 cm in diameter, on an elongated pedicel, usually spiny, green turning brown on ripening, indehiscent in modern cultivars, usually containing 3 seeds; seeds ovoid, tick-like, shiny, 0.5–1.5 cm long, carunculate, vari-color with base color white, gray, brownish, yellow, brown, red, or black, with the outer pattern gray or brown to black, the pattern varying from fine to coarse, veined or finely dotted to large splotches, poisonous and allergenic, possibly fatel, from 1,000 to 11,000 per kg, commercial varieties having 2200 to 3200 per kg (Reed, 1976).

Traditional uses: Castor oil is well known for its strongly laxative (and, in higher doses, purgative) action, prompting a bowel movement about 3-5 hours after ingestion. The oil is so effective that it is regularly used to clear the digestive tract in cases of poisoning. Castor oil is well tolerated by the skin, and it is sometimes used as a vehicle for medicinal and cosmetic preparations. In India, the oil is massaged into the breasts after childbirth to stimulate milk flow. Indian herbalism uses a poultice of castor oil seeds to relieve swollen and tender joints. In China, the crushed seeds are used to treat facial palsy.

Phytochemistry:

Seeds are high in phosphorus, 90% in the phytic form. The castor oil consists principally of ricinoleic acid with only small amounts of dihydroxystearic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids. The unsaponifiable matter contains b-sitosterol. The seeds contain a powerful lipase, employed for commercial hydrolysis of fats, also amylase, invertase, maltase, endotrypsin, glycolic acid, oxidase, ribonuclease, and a fat-soluble zymogen. Sprouting seeds contain catalase, peroxidase and reductase.

Main Uses: Castor leaves are used externally by nursing mothers to increase the flow of milk. Castor Oil is a natural emollient and can be applied to the skin and hair as a softener. Externally Castor Oil is used to treat ringworm and itch.

Specification: Castor triglyceride usp fixed oil

Extraction Method: Expeller pressed

Analysis: