Castor oil plant

Ricinus communis, the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, Ricinus, and subtribe, Ricininae.

vegetable oil obtained by pressing the seeds of the Castor plant, Ricinus communis

Ricin ( ) is a lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) and a highly potent toxin produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis. The median lethal dose (LD50) of ricin for mice is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body mass via intraperitoneal injection. Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic. An estimated lethal oral dose in humans is approximately one milligram per kilogram of body mass.

chemical compound

Ricinolein is the chief constituent of castor oil and is the triglyceride of ricinoleic acid. Castor oil, the expressed natural fatty oil of the seeds of Ricinus communis also contains mixtures of the glycerides of isoricinoleic acids and much smaller traces of tristearin and the glyceride of dihydroxysteric acid. Ricinolein is the active principle in the use of castor oil as a purgative and solvent for several medically useful alkaloids.

Ricinine is a toxic alkaloid found in the castor plant. It can serve as a biomarker of ricin poisoning. It was first isolated from the castor seeds by Tuson in 1864.

chemical compound

type of wax produced from castor oil