castor bean.2012c

7/31/2019 Castor Bean.2012c

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The Castor Bean Ricinus communis

Common Names:castor bean, castor oil plant, wonder tree


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Although it is native to the Ethiopian region:Historythe castor bean or castor plant has,of tropical east Africa

become naturalized in tropical and warm temperate

regions throughout the world, and is becoming anincreasingly abundant weed in the southwestern USA.

Egyptian tombsCastor beans have been found in ancientdating back to 4000 B.C., and the oil was used thousandsof years ago in wick lamps for lighting.

Castor bean was originally native to northeastern Africaand the Middle East. It has escaped cultivation andbecome naturalized as a weed almost everywhere in theworld that has a tropical or subtropical climate.


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:Derivation of the Name Castor

It is interesting to trace the origin of the name

"castor."

Castor is the generic name of the North

American beaver (Castor canadensis) and one

of the brightest double stars in the constellation

group Gemini.

In Greek and Roman legend, Castor was one of

the twin sons of Jupiter and Leda.


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Although it is commonly known as the castor bean

plant, the seed is really not a true bean and it is not

related to the Bean or Legume Family. There are

many other examples of "beans" that are

technically not beans, such as Mexican Jumping

"beans" and coffee "beans."


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The scientific name for the castor plant, Ricinus

communis, has a much more logical derivation.

, and castor plantsmeans common in LatinCommunis

were already commonly naturalized in many parts of

Swedish naturalistcenturyth18when thethe world

Carolus Linnaeus (Karl von Linn) was giving scientific

first and last names to plants and animals over 200

years ago.

is the Latin word for tick and is the specificRicinus).ricinusIxodes(nickname for the Mediterranean sheep tick

Apparently Linnaeus thought the seeds looked like ticks,

particularly large ticks engorged with blood.


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Habitat:

Castor plants are very common along stream banks, riverbeds, bottom lands, and just about any hot area where

the soil is well drained and with sufficient nutrients andmoisture to sustain the vigorous growth.

Castor bean grows wild on rocky hillsides, and in wasteplaces, fallow fields, along road shoulders and at theedges of cultivated lands.

the seeds or beans are extremely poisonous,Althoughthey are the source of numerous economically importantproducts and are one of earliest commercial products. itproduces one of nature's finest natural oils.


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Distribution:

Although castor is probably indigenous to Eastern

Africa, today castor is distributed worldwide.

decorativehas recently also been used extensively as

.cetplant in parks

The large, tropical, palmately-lobed leaves

make this naturalized plant unmistakable.


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:Botanical Description

free areas, castor bean is an evergreen-frostInlarge shrub or small treewoody-semiherbaceous or

m wide.4.6m tall and12that gets up to)perennial(

In the tropics, it can have a trunk that is woody near

the base and up to a foot in diameter.

annual)Elsewhere, castor bean plant grows as an (

that can get 2.5 -4.5 m tall in a single growing season.


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Leaves:

The large, palmately lobed leaves may be over 50 cm

They are glossy purplish or reddish-green, with longpetioles.

There are several cultivated varieties with strikingly

different foliage colorations, including black-purplish,

dark red-metallic, bronze-green, maroon, bright green

with white veins, and just plain green.


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Although it grows very rapidly with little care or insect pests

, its use inand produces a mass of lush tropical foliage

cultivation should be discouraged because of the

.extremely poisonous seeds or "beans

This is particularly true where small children might

be attracted to the large, beautifully-mottled seeds

which are produced in prodigious numbers.

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:Flowers & FruitsFlowers occur most of the year in dense terminal clusters(inflorescences), with female flowers just above the male

flowers.

, with separate malemonoeciousspecies is clearlyThisand female flowers on the same individual.

There are no petals and each female flower consists of alittle spiny ovary (which develops into the fruit or seedcapsule), and a bright red structure with feathery

branches (stigma lobes) that receives pollen from maleflowers.

Each male flower consists of a cluster of many stamenswhich literally smoke as they shed pollen in a gust of

wind.


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The spiny seed capsule is composed of 3 sections or

carpels which split apart at maturity. Each section

(carpel) contains a single seed, and as the carpel driesand splits open, the seed is often ejected with

considerable force.

female flowers are the fuzzy red structures atThe*

the top of the flower spike with the male flowers

positioned on the lower half.

2 C il


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2.Castor oil% oil which is rich in60-%40Castor seed contains*

.ricinolein, mainlytryglycerides

* The unique composition of castor oil opens up a vast range ofapplications, and also permits it to be chemically transformedinto a host of other useful forms. This is due to its unusualmolecular structure.

thatglyceride, aacidricinoleicThe oil is mainly composed of*does not otherwise occur in nature and is difficult to synthesize;it is characterized by a hydroxyl group and an isolated double

bond.

times20viscosityhas aand* It is highly soluble in alcoholgreater than that of any other fat or oil of vegetable or animal

.origin

U f il


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Uses of castor oilit is employed to make pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, inthe textile and leather industries, and for manufacturing

plastics and fibers.Structural foams are also derivedfrom it, as well as soaps, printing inks, wetting agents,and lubricants.

% of the global castor oil production goes into1About

easemedical or health store products. It is used toconstipation and as an emetic to induce vomiting.

Consumption of large amounts of castor oil (below lethal

doses, such as one bottle) can induce labor in near-termpregnant women. The poison ricin is made from the by-products in the

manufacture of castor oil.

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Castor Oil in Paints

The castor plant has many uses, particularly the thick, yellowishor almost colorless oil obtained from the seeds.

drying oil-quickWhen dehydrated, castor oil is converted into a.paints and varnishesused extensively in

In fact, one of the largest single markets for castor oil in the USAis in the paint and varnish industry.

Some experts say that dehydrated castor oil has qualitiessuperior to linseed oil, one of the most important drying oils.


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Castor oil is one of the world's most flexible natural products. Itswater resistant qualities make it ideal for coating fabrics and for

protective coverings, insulation, food containers, and guns.

There are an astonishing number of industrial applications for castor

oil and its derivatives, and new ones are continually being discovered.

Castor Oil in Nylon

Castor oil is the primary raw material for the production of sebacic

acid, which is the basic ingredient in the production of nylon and

other synthetic resins and fibers.


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:Castor Bean Motor Oil

The superior "oiliness" of castor oil and its ability to

"cling " to very hot moving parts make it outstanding

racing oil for high performance engines. In fact, it is

the basic ingredient of Castrol-R racing motor

oil for high speed automobile and motorcycle

engines.


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Castor wax, a hard wax produced by the

hydrogenation (chemical combination with H) of

pure castor oil, is used in: polishes,

electrical condensers,

carbon paper, and as a

solid lubricant.

Castor oil is a popular fuel additive for 2 cycle

engines, and exposes a distinctive aroma to theexhaust of these engines.


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:Fruit Flavors from Castor Oil

Although castor oil is rather malodorous and

distasteful, it is the source of several synthetic flower

scents and fruit flavors (esters), such as jasmine,

apricot, peach, plum, rose, banana, and lemon.

The chemicals (esters) responsible for these flavors

acid, one ofricinoleicand aromas are obtained from

the important ingredients of natural castor oil.

% of the90acid comprises aboutricinoleicIn fact,

.total triglyceride fatty acids of castor oil


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Castor oil is also used in making soap, inks, and

plastics; for preserving leather; as an illuminant;

in Turkey red oil for dyeing and finishing textiles; and

in brake fluids and certain insecticidaloils.

Even after the oil has been removed, the poisonous

crushed seeds or oil cake (pomace) makes an

excellent fertilizer.


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Ricin: A Deadly Protein

, a veryricinThe active poison in castor seeds is

is found in the meal or cake afterRicindeadly protein.the oil has been extracted.

Those who occasionally take castor oil may be assuredthat Ricin does not occur in the pure oil.

is compared with equivalentricinWhen a gram of

weights of other toxic substances, it turns out to be

.one of our deadliest natural poisons

h b i d h f i i i


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It has been estimated that, gram for gram, ricin is

6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide and

12,000 times more poisonous than rattlesnake

poison.

Ricin mixed with food and used as bait is highly

toxic to certain pest animals, such as some rodents

and insects.

E. A. Weiss (1971) states that a dose of0.035 mg may

kill a man and even small particles in open sores and

in the eyes may prove fatal.

d f


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According to the Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals (1997), a dose of

ricin weighing only 70 micrograms (roughly equivalent

to the weight of a single grain of table salt) is enough

to kill a 90 kg person.

ingested seeds can cause death in an4As few as

, and lesser amounts may result inadult human

symptoms of poisoning, such as vomiting, severe

abdominal pain, diarrhea, and convulsions.


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thedegree of poisoning depends upon the amount

ingested and the age and general health of the

individual.

There are numerous documented cases of ricin

poisoning and death when horses, livestock, andpoultry accidentally ate castor seeds or meal.

The coats of castor beans contain high concentrations

of deadly ricin, a toxic protein for which there is noknown cure

* The poisoning mechanism of castor beans is very


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* The poisoning mechanism of castor beans is verycomplicated. It causes clumping (agglutination) &breakdown (hemolysis) of red blood cells,

hemorrhaging in the digestive tract, & irreparabledamage to vital organs such as the liver & kidneys.

It is most toxic when taken intravenously orinhaled as fine particles.

In fact, the possibilities ofricin dust in chemicalwarfare are horrendous .

* There are even documented cases of castor beanpoisoning in murders by paid assassins.


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Just one single ricin molecule that enters

the cytosol of a cell (the semifluid mediumbetween the nucleus and plasma

membrane) can inactivate over 1,500

ribosomes per minute and kill the cell.

The agglutination of red blood cells has been

attributed to a powerful hemagglutinin in castorbeans called ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA)

and not ricin.


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Ricin is a potent cytotoxin but a weak

hemagglutinin. Poisoning by the ingestion of

castor beans is due to ricin, not RCA, because RCAdoes not penetrate the intestinal wall, and does

not affect red blood cells unless given

intravenously

IfRCA is injected into the blood, it will cause thered blood cells to agglutinate and burst due to

hemolysis.

:Ri i i C R h


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:Ricin in Cancer Researchhas beenricinAlthough it is a very potent poison,

shown to possess antitumor qualities and has beenused in cancer research and chemotherapy duringrecent years.

One of the reasons castor plants have become sosuccessful is their extremely viable seed thatgerminates readily in a variety of soils. In fact,desperate vegetable gardeners have been known toplace the poisonous seeds in the burrows of gophersand moles, thus propagating and dispersing theplant.

castor bean.2012c

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