What is physic nut good for?

The seeds can be used as a purgative but only in small doses. Oil obtained from the seeds are used in the treatment of skin diseases and rheumatic pains. It also stimulates hair growth. The root bark is used for sores, dysentery, and jaundice.

Is physic nut edible?

Symptoms: The seeds are poisonous, and if ingested, can cause acute abdominal pain and a burning sensation in the throat, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea.

What is the English name of Jatropha Curcas?

Common names in English include physic nut, Barbados nut, poison nut, bubble bush or purging nut….

What is the botanical name of Jatropha?

Jatropha curcas
Jatropha curcas/Scientific names

Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a multipurpose perennial shrub/small tree, native to Mexico and Subtropical America, now grows naturally in most tropical areas of the world. It is an underutilized plant of multiple values.

Is Jatropha oil edible?

Jatropha curcas L. is a plant belonging to Euphorbiaceae family that produces a significant amount of oil from its seeds. This is a non-edible oil-bearing plant widespread in arid, semi-arid and tropical regions of the world. Jatropha planted as living fence, its fruit and seed from Nepal [15].

What is Jatropha used for?

Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a multiple purpose plant with potential for biodiesel production and medicinal uses. It has been used for treatment of a wide spectrum of ailments related to skin, cancer, digestive, respiratory and infectious diseases.

Is red Jatropha poisonous?

Jatropha curcas also referred to as physic nut is a flowering plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. A literature review showed that this plant has caused poisoning in children in many parts of the world but no case of Jatropha poisoning in adults has been reported.

Why did Jatropha fail in India?

Availability of Jatropha seeds remains a major problem in increasing the production of biodiesel in India. However, due to constraints like very poor Jatropha seed yield, limited availability of wasteland and high plantation and maintenance costs, biodiesel projects became unviable.

Can we eat Jatropha?

Though all parts of the plant are poisonous, seeds have the highest concentration of ricin and thus very poisonous [5]. The adverse effects following consumption of seeds include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and burning sensation in the throat.

Why is biodiesel not used?

The unaccounted for environmental problems that indirectly arise from biofuel use are significant: 1) direct conflicts between land for fuels and land for food, 2) other land-use changes, 3) water scarcity, 4) loss of biodiversity, and 4) nitrogen pollution through the excessive use of fertilizers.

Why biodiesel is not used in India?

The problem is we couldn’t even produce oil for our own citizen’s needs. To meet the needs we are importing oil from other countries. In such situation we couldn’t produce biodiesel from edible oils like other countries.

Is Ratanjot poisonous?

The other common names are Jungle Erandi, Ratanjot, Bagranda, purging nut tree and Barbados nut tree [1]. Though all parts of the plant are poisonous, seeds have the highest concentration of the toxin and are highly poisonous [2].

How tall does a physic nut tree grow?

Physic nut is a drought resistant shrub that grows up to 20′ tall under favorable condition with spreading branches. There are male – and female plant of Jatropha curcas. The black thin shelled seeds are considered toxic; they contain the toxalbumin curcin and this make them fatally toxic. Roasting the seeds seems to kill the toxin.

Where can I find red physic nut seeds?

Baliospermum montanum also known as red physic nut, wild croton, wild castor and wild sultan seed belongs to Euphorbiaceae family. It is a stout undershrub having numerous flowers. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Himalayan region from Khasi Hills to Kashmir.

What are the leaves of a physic nut plant?

It has large, 3-5 parted (lobed), alternately arranged, green to pale green leaves. It has small, greenish-yellow flowers that are often hidden by the foliage and its yellow, apple-sized fruits contain three large, oblong, black seeds and grow at the end of the plant’s stems.

What is the scientific name for Barbados nut?

Tuba Bakod – Scientific name: L., Euphorbiaceae ; Jatropha curcas. Physic nut has insecticidal – and fungicidal properties. It has yellow-green flowers and large (pale) green leaves. It is a drought resistant shrub with a smooth gray bark. Barbados nut has latex that contains an alkaloid (jatrophine) which shows anticancerous properties.