castor oil
vegetable oil obtained by pressing the seeds of the Castor plant, Ricinus communis
Research
3,639 papers- Therapeutic potential of castor oil in managing blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye.Clinical & experimental optometry · 2021
- Coconut, Castor, and Argan Oil for Hair in Skin of Color Patients: A Systematic Review.Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD · 2022
- Preparation of Ricinoleic Acid from Castor Oil:A Review.Journal of oleo science · 2022
- Phase III trial of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel compared with polyethylated castor oil-based paclitaxel in women with breast cancer.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2005
- Castor oil, bath and/or enema for cervical priming and induction of labour.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013
via PubMed
Article
Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans, the seeds of the plant Ricinus communis. The seeds are 40 to 60 percent oil. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is 313 °C (595 °F) and its density is 0.961 g/cm. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about 90 percent of fatty acids are ricinoleates. Oleic acid and linoleic acid are the other significant components.
Some 270,000–360,000 tonnes (600×10^–790×10^ lb) of castor oil are produced annually for a variety of uses, including soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold-resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, and perfumes.