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Ricinus communis

Common name:	Castor-Oil Plant	Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The whole plant is very poisonous[10, 19, 20], even one seed has been known to be lethal to children[65, 76, 200]. The seedcoat contains an extremely lethal poison that was once used by the KGB to dispose of their enemies[260]. The leaves are only mildly poisonous[76]. The toxic principle is water-soluble so is not found in the oil[76].
Range:	Africa? Original habitat is obscure. Naturalized in S. and S.C. Europe.
Habitat:	Not known in a truly wild situation.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	4

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Recinus communis[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bean,Castor [E], Castor [E], Castor Bean [H,E], Castor Bean Plant [S], Castor Oil Bush [H], Castor Oil Plant [H,MS], Castor-bean [B], Castor-oil Plant [L], Castorbean [L,E,P], Eranda [E], Gana Garchak [E], Higuerilla [E], Hintyagi Agaci [E], Huile Ricin [E], Jarak [E], Khirwe [E], Palma Christi [H,E], Pei Ma [E], Pi Ma [E], Ricino [E], Sittamoonaka [E], Tartago [E], To-Goma [E], Wonderboom [D],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	communis = common;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Euphorbiales. Spurge family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Africa; Africa(Swahili); Australia; Bahamas; Brazil; Canada; Chile; China; Dr; Gabon; Ghana; Guatemala; Haiti; Hawaii; India; India(Santal); Indochina; Iraq; Ivory Coast; Japan; Java; Kurdistan; Kuwait; La; Libya; Malaya; Mexico; Mexico(Seri); Nigeria; Ph
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: New South Wales, Northen Territory (Aust).

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 1.5m by 1m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 4/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Oil.

The seed contains 35 - 55% of an edible oil, used in cooking[2, 171]. The seed is a rich source of phosphorus, 90% of which is in the phytic form[218]. Some caution should be observed, see the notes above on toxicity

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic; Antidandruff; Antitussive; Cathartic; Emollient; Expectorant; Laxative; Purgative; Skin.

The oil from the seed is a very well-known laxative that has been widely used for over 2,000 years[222]. It is considered to be fast, safe and gentle, prompting a bowel movement in 3 - 5 hours, and is recommended for both the very young and the aged[4, 254]. It is so effective that it is regularly used to clear the digestive tract in cases of poisoning[254]. It should not be used in cases of chronic constipation, where it might deal with the symptoms but does not treat the cause[4]. The flavour is somewhat unpleasant, however, and it can cause nausea in some people[4]. The oil has a remarkable antidandruff effect[7]. The oil is well-tolerated by the skin and so is sometimes used as a vehicle for medicinal and cosmetic preparations[254].
Castor oil congeals to a gel-mass when the alcoholic solution is distilled in the presence of sodium salts of higher fatty acids[240]. This gel is useful in the treatment of non-inflammatory skin diseases and is a good protective in cases of occupational eczema and dermatitis[240].
The seed is anthelmintic, cathartic, emollient, laxative, purgative[4, 7, 21]. It is rubbed on the temple to treat headache[218] and is also powdered and applied to abscesses and various skin infections[218]. The seed is used in Tibetan medicine, where it is considered to have an acrid, bitter and sweet taste with a heating potency[241]. It is used in the treatment of indigestion and as a purgative[241].
A decoction of the leaves and roots is antitussive, discutient and expectorant[218]. The leaves are used as a poultice to relieve headaches and treat boils[240].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Fibre; Insecticide; Oil; Repellent.

The seed contains 35 - 55% of a drying oil. As well as being used in cooking, it is an ingredient of soaps, polishes, flypapers, paints and varnishes[2, 4, 7, 14, 57]. It is also used as a lubricant and for lighting and as an ingredient in fuels for precision engines[7, 17, 100]. The oil is used in coating fabrics and other protective coverings, in the manufacture of high-grade lubricants, transparent typewriter and printing inks, in textile dyeing (when converted into sulfonated Castor Oil or Turkey-Red Oil, for dyeing cotton fabrics with alizarine) and in the production of 'Rilson', a polyamide nylon-type fibre[269]. The dehydrated oil is an excellent drying agent which compares favorably with tung oil and is used in paints and varnishes[269]. The hydrogenated oil is utilized in the manufacture of waxes, polishes, carbon paper, candles and crayons[269].
A fibre for making ropes is obtained from the stems[7].
The growing plant is said to repel flies and mosquitoes[7, 14, 18, 20, 171, 201]. When grown in the garden it is said to rid it of moles and nibbling insects[14, 20, 201]. The leaves have insecticidal properties[171].
Cellulose from the stems is used for making cardboard, paper etc[61, 171].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained moisture retentive clay or sandy loam in full sun[14, 200]. Requires a rich soil and daytime temperatures above 20°c for the seedlings to grow well[260], though the seed may fail to set if temperatures rise above 38°C for an extended period[269]. The plant requires 140 - 180 days of warm temperatures in the growing season in order to produce good crops of seed, and is readily killed by frost[269]. The plant is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 20 to 429cm, an annual temperature in the range of 7.0 to 27.8°C and a pH of 4.5 to 8.3[269].
The castor-oil plant is a fast-growing shrub in the wild, reaching up to 12 metres in height, though it is much smaller when cultivated in the temperate zone[188, 260]. A very ornamental plant[1], although it is not winter hardy in Britain, it can be grown outdoors as an annual bedding plant for sub-tropical displays, and can flower and produce fruit in its first year in warm summers[1, 4]. It has been known to ripen a crop of seeds as far north as Christiana in Norway[4]. Providing the plants water needs are met, yields of around 1 tonne per hectare have been achieved, with exceptional cases of up t 5 tonnes per hectare[269].
It has a long history of cultivation as an oil-bearing and medicinal plant, having been grown in ancient Egypt[238]. It is still widely cultivated for its seed in tropical and sub-tropical zones[1, 61]. There are many named varieties, some developed for ornamental use and others for oil production[4, 269].
Plants may need support in exposed areas[188].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse in individual pots. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts[1]. The seeds retain their viability for 2 - 3 years[269].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[W] Photos (common names, range) from the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HEC] Use, Folk Medicine, etc. from Handbook of Energy Crops by James Duke
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Recinus communis (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for ricinus communis (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Euphorbiaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[10] Altmann. H. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus 1980 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8
A small book, reasonable but not very detailed.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[19] Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3
Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[76] Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984 ISBN 0112425291
Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[241] Tsarong. Tsewang. J. Tibetan Medicinal Plants Tibetan Medical Publications, India 1994 ISBN 81-900489-0-2
A nice little pocket guide to the subject with photographs of 95 species and brief comments on their uses.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.

Readers Comments

Useful plants of Madagascar

Rich (pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk) Tue Nov 16 11:22:24 1999

I've just got a lovley little book in French on the useful plants of Madegascar (Plantes utiles des hautes terres de Madagascar) by Jean-Marie Samyn. Its got descriptions, photos and uses of about 100 plants listed below. You can also see all the details online at Plantes utiles.

Abrus precatorius, Acacia dealbata, Acacia mearnsii, Agauria salicifolia, Agauria polyphylla, Ageratum conyzoides, Albizzia gummifera, Aloe capitata, Aloe todaro, Aloe macroclada, Anthocleista madagascariensis, Apholoia theaeformis, Brachylaena ramiflora, Buddleja madagascariensis, Caesalpinia sepiaria, Caesalpinia decapetala, Cassia laevigata, Cassia mimosoides, Cassia occidentalis, Catharanthus lanceus, Catharantus roseus, Centella asiatica, Clerodendrum emirnense, Clerodendrum putre, Commelina madagascarica, Crinum firmifolium, Crinum ligulatum, Crinum voyoni, Cussonia bojeri, Cynodon dactylon, Datura stramonium, Dodonae madagascariensis, Dodonae viscosa, Emilia citrina, Eugenia jambolana, Eugenia jambos, Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia milii, Euphorbia primulaefolia, Evodia madagascariensis, Ficus baroni, Ficus apodocephala, Ficus pachyclada, Ficus roussonetiaefolia, Ficus trichosphaera, Ficus pyrifolia, Ficus melleri, Ficus soroceoides, Ficus claoxyloides, Ficus phanerophlebia, Ficus xiphocuspis, Floscopa glomerata, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Gomphocarpus cornutus, Haronga madagascariensis, Hedychium coronarium, Helichrysum bracteiferum, Helichrysum cordifolium, Helichrysum gymnocephalum, Kalanchoe laxiflora, Kalanchoe prolifera, Kaliphora madagascariensis, Lantana camara, Leonotis nepetaefolia, Maesa lanceolata, Melia azedarach, Mimosa latispinosa, Mimosa pudica, Mussaenda arcuata, Nicandra physaloides, Pavonia urens, Phyllarthron madagascariense, Physalis peruviana, Phytolacca dodecandra, Psiadia altissima, Psorospermum androsacemifolium, Ricinus communis, Senecio faujasioides, Senecio longiscapus, Sida rhombifolia, Siegesbeckia orientalis, Solanum mauritianum, Solanum nigrum, Tachiadenus longiflorus, Trema orientalis, Trema affinis, Trema cummersonii, Trema grevei, Trema grisea, Trema guineensis, Trema treme, Trema velutina, Uapaca bojeri, Urena lobata, Vernonia appendiculata.

Details of Growing Condition: Madagascar.

Cross references: Plants: Caesalprina decapetala, Euphorbia hirta, Centella asiatica, Ageratum conyzoides, Siegesbeckia orientalis pubescens, Melia azedarach, Pyrus pyrifolia, Dodonea viscosa, Nicandra physaloides, Physalis peruviana, Hedychium coronarium.

Main Search Page

Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.