Castor Bean
Parts Usually Used
Seed oil
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Large, rank, annual or perennial (in the south), 5-12 feet tall. Leaves large, palmate, with 5-11 lobes up to 3-5 feet across. Flowers in clusters; female ones above, male ones below; July to September. Seed capsule has soft spines. The flowers have no petals and grow in upright panicles covered with dark brown spines. The fruit which follows is a capsule containing 3 large seeds.
The dark shiny seeds are extremely poisonous if swallowed, but can be easily removed from the plant when they first begin to form. Because castor bean is extremely sensitive to frost, seed must be started indoors in early spring in cooler climates, or outdoors only in warm ground. Space plants 3-4 feet apart in full sun. Adaptable to most soils; adding fertilizer will give brightest color and faster growth.
Plants like lots of water, which mulching will help conserve. Do not pinch or tip-prune castor bean; this may kill the plant. While spider mites may be a problem on indoor seedlings, they usually disappear when the plants are set outdoors. Prefer good drainage, lots of water, will grow in clay or sandy loam. Varieties Carmencita and Dwarf Red Spire have attractive red foliage. Ricinus africanus has very large green leaves; R.
macrocarpus has purple-red foliage: R. cambodgensis has blackish-purple stems and leaves; R. sanguinea is red-leaved; and R. gibsonii, a lovely dwarf, has dark red leaves with a metallic luster.
Where Found
Native to tropical Africa and India, where it may grow to a 40-foot tree. Castor bean plant is often cultivated for ornamental effect in the southern United States. Cultivated in China.
Medicinal Properties
Laxative, purgative, cathartic, demulcent (soothes mucous membranes). Only the oil is non-toxic.
Biochemical Information
Contains the poison ricin, toxalbumin, chelidonine, chelerythrine, coptisine, protopine, chelidonic and other acids, saponin, carotenoid pigments, enzymes and traces of an essential oil.
Legends, Myths and Stories
The castor oil plant has long enjoyed the reputation as a fly and mosquito repelling plant and will also rid the garden of moles and gophers. The plant has a very long history. It is cultivated as a quick growing ornamental; as a barrier and as a sand-binder on dunes. South Americans grow the plant as a mosquito repellent. ” The book “Old Ways Rediscovered” tells a story; “For several years I have been told that a castor bean plant in the garden would to some extent control grasshoppers.
Last spring I put a seed at the edge of my compost pile. Result–a plant 16 feet 4 inches tall and 14 feet 2 inches in diameter. ”
Uses
Historically, castor oil was administered internally as a purgative or laxative, a tradition dating back to ancient Egypt, and was sometimes given when individuals could not strain during bowel movements due to colitis or prolapse. Practitioners also utilized it in enemas and administered it before medical bowel examinations. Externally, herbalists applied abdominal castor oil packs, often combined with heated ginger compresses, based on the belief that the application influenced the liver and alleviated abdominal complaints, cysts, warts, and other skin growths.
The oil was also applied topically to sties, pimples, sores, piles, ringworm, and general skin irritations, or incorporated into hair washes for dandruff. Steamed leaves were traditionally applied as external poultices for bruises, injuries, stiffness, rheumatism, arthritis, lumbago, and bursitis, while boiled leaf poultices were used in folk traditions to stimulate milk flow. Beyond traditional medicine, the oil was utilized in industrial applications, including lubricants, varnishes, plastics, soaps, furniture polish, candles, and energy production.
How Sold
Castor Oil
Warning
The prickly reddish seed pods of castor bean contain beautiful gold, silver, and black seeds. These temptingly attractive seeds are quite poisonous, so you must be sure to keep them away from children and unknowing adults. Three seeds are sufficient to kill an adult. Seeds are a deadly poison. One seed may be fatal to a child. After oil is squeezed from the seeds, the deadly toxic protein, ricin, remains in the seed cake.
May induce dermatitis.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.
, West Nyack, NY, 1987. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , Garden City Park, NY Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary , 15th Edition, F. A. Davis Company, 1915 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.
David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974