Category:Castor Bean

Castor oil is made from the seeds of this plant. Although they are called castor beans, they are not a true bean, but a seed. This plant has been planted as an ornamental tree. The seeds are used for jewelry, but if the seed coating is drilled through or broken in any way, the necklaces and bracelets can be toxic. Four to eight raw castor beans are considered to be a lethal dose for adults as they contain ricin (RYE-sin)a very deadly protein called a lectin. These beautiful raw castor seeds with intricate designs are lethal to other animals as well. They are among the most deadly seeds on earth. Castor seeds in a processed form, though, produce an oil that is used for medicinal purposes, used as the basic ingredient for producing nylon and other synthetic resins and fibers, used as motor oil, used as a substitute for cocoa butter in chocolate bar manufacturing, and used to make biodiesel fuel, soap, plastics, brake fluids, inks, insecticidal oils, synthetic flower scents and fruit flavors. The poisonous seeds, after being crushed for oil production, are used as a fertilizer. Yet ingesting excessive amounts of castor oil, as was forced in Mussolini's regime, can cause death.

Cas"tor bean". (Bot.)

Defn: The bean or seed of the castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis, or Palma Christi.)

Castor Bean is also known as: Arabic: Khirwa' خروع Brazil: mamona, carrapateira, rícino Chinese: 蓖麻 Colombia: higuerilla Dhivehi: Aamanaka, އާމަނަކަ El Salvador: higuerillo Ethiopia: Gulo Greece: Retsinoladia, Ρετσινολαδιά Hebrew:Kikayon, קיקיון India: Assamese - Era-gach Bangla - Erando, Veranda Gujarati - Divel, Hindi - Arandi, Kannada - Haralenne, Malayalam - Chittamankku or Avanakkanna Marathi - Errand, Oriya - Jada, Tamil - Aamanakku (ஆமணக்கு), Telugu - Aavadam, Aamudalu Indonesia: Jarak (Java), Dulang/ Gloah (Sumatra) Iran: Karchak, کرچک Japan: 唐胡麻 Tougoma, 箆麻 Hima Kurdish: Gerchek, گه‌رچه‌ک Korean: 아주까리 Ajukari, 피마자(蓖麻子) Pimaja Maltese: Żejt ir-Riegnu Mexico: Higuerilla Nicaragua: Higuera or higueria Poland: Rącznik Portugal: Figueira do Diabo Puerto Rico: higuereta Seri: hehe caacoj Sinhala: endaru, thel-endaru Turkish: Hint yağı bitkisi Venezuela: tártago