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Botanical Name
:
Ricinus communis
Sanskrit Name :
Eranda
English Name :
Castor, Palma Christi, Ricin, Wonder Tree, Krapata, Djarak, Reer
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Part used:
Castor Leaves, Castor Seeds, Castor Roots, Castor Oil
Description of
Ricinus communis:
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). |
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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:
-
Fixed oil (45-55% mainly of glycerides of ricinoleic acid)
-
Ricin (a toxic protein)
-
Ricinine (an alkaloid)
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Lectins
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:
Standardized to customer Specification
Herbal Extract packing:
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