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History |
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It was known to Herodotus, who calls it Kiki, and states that it furnishes an oil much used by the Egyptians, in whose ancient tombs seeds of Ricinus are met with. At the period when Herodotus wrote (the fourth century B.C.), it would appear to have been already introduced into Greece, where it is cultivated to the present day under the same ancient name. The Kikajon of the Book of Jonah, rendered by the translators of the English Bible, 'gourd,' is believed to be the same plant. Kiki is also mentioned by Strabo as a production of Egypt, the oil from which is used for burning in lamps and for unguents. Theophrastus and Dioscorides, in the first century, describe the plant, Dioscorides giving an account of the process for extracting the oil and saying that it is not fit for food, but is used externally in medicine, and stating that the seeds are extremely purgative. Pliny, about the same time, also speaks of it as a drastic purgative.
We read of it being employed medicinally in Europe during the early Middle Ages: it is recorded that it was cultivated by Albertus Magnus, Bishop of Ratisbon, in the middle of the thirteenth century, but later it fell into disuse, though Gerard (1597) was familiar with it under the name of Ricinus or Kik: the oil, he says, is called Oleum cicinum and used externally in skin diseases. As a garden plant, it was well known in this country in the time of Turner (1551). In the eighteenth century, its cultivation in Europe as a medicinal plant had, however, practically ceased, and the small supplies of the seeds and oil required for European medicine were obtained from Jamaica. The name 'Castor' was indeed originally applied about this period to the plant in Jamaica, where it seems to have been called 'Agnus Castus,' though it bears no resemblance to the South European plant properly so called. The botanical name is from the Latin Ricinus (a dog-tick), from the form and markings of the seed. |
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Habitat |
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It consists of dried, mature roots of Ricinus communis Linn. (Fam. Euphorbiaceae), a tall glabrous shrub or almost small tree 2-4 m high, found throughout India, mostly growing wild on waste land and also cultivated for its oil seeds. |
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Morphology
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a) Macroscopic
Root light in weight almost straight with few rootlets, outer surface dull yellowish brown, nearly smooth but marked with longitudinal wrinkles, some places whitish-yellow and soft, odourless, taste, acrid.
b) Microscopic
Transverse section of root shows thin layer of cork of squarish to tangentially elongated, thin-walled cells, beneath cork, secondary cortex of thin-walled, tangentially elongated cells, narrow cortex of rounded to tangentially elongated thin-walled parenchymatous cells, some containing large oil globules, rosettes of calcium oxalate crystals and round simple or compound starch grains, phloem a broad zone, consisting of sieve tubes, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibres, fibres long, mostly septate, highly thickened, having narrow lumen, some fibres surrounded by concentric rows of cells containing crystals of calcium oxalate, sieve tubes, thin-walled with companion cells and phloem parenchyma in the inner region of phloem more prominent , some phloem parenchyma cells contain crystals of calcium oxalate , cambium 3-5 layered, cells rectangular in shape, xylem occupies major part of root, pentarch, five groups of primary xylem distinct in the centre of the wood, xylem consists of vessels, parenchyma and fibres , vessels uniformly scattered throughout the xylem region, either solitary or in groups, larger in size towards phloem, with bordered pits , xylem parenchyma less ia number around vessels containing starch grains, xylem fibres long and thick-walled, medullary rays uni-to-biseriate, more or less straight, 4-5 seriate rays, sometimes found near protoxylem groups, ray cells, thin-walled, slightly radially elongated in phloem region, thick-walled in xylem region, all ray cells contain starch grains. |
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Principal Constituents Pharmacology
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The seeds contain 50 per cent of the fixed oil, which is a viscid fluid, almost colourless when pure, possessing only a slight odour and mild, yet highly nauseous and disagreeable taste. Its specific gravity is high for an oil, being 0.96, a little less than that of water, and it dissolves freely in alcohol, ether and glacial acetic acid. It contains Palmitic and several other fatty acids, among which there is one - Ricinoleic acid - peculiar to itself. This occurs in combination with glycerine, constituting the greater part of the bulk of the oil. The oil is decomposed by the fat-splitting ferments of the intestinal canal liberating this irritant Ricinoleic acid, to which the purgative action is considered in all probablity to be due. |
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Toxicology
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R. communis is a commonly cultivated plant, and ornamental use of the beans makes them attractive to small children. The leaves and seeds of the plant contain the toxic protein ricin and the alkaloid ricinine. Nonetheless, deaths from castor plant or bean are rare. Between 1983 and 2002, no deaths were recorded by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and more recent analyses of case reports suggest that toxicity from castor poisoning is usually not severe. Toxicity of ricin is dependent on both the dose and the route of administration. Intracellular uptake of ricin is relatively slow; however, a small number of molecules can cause cell death via irreversible inactivation of ribosomes leading to inhibition of protein synthesis. In a primate study, a dose-dependent latency to onset of symptoms of up to 24 hours was demonstrated following inhalation exposure, with death occurring within 36 to 48 hours. The mean lethal dose is lowest for the inhalational route and highest for the intragastric route. Inhalation of castor bean dust may lead to pulmonary and systemic effects in factory workers. Poor absorption results from ingestion of the bean as enzymatic degradation occurs. Contact dermatitis has been reported, but dermal absorption is poor. Experiments in rats and mice to determine the distribution of ricin found 50% to 68% of the IV dose in the liver, muscle, and spleen. Parenteral doses of ricin up to 20 mcg/m 2 in clinical trials were well tolerated, with adverse reactions of flu-like symptoms and muscle pain reported.
Management of castor or ricin poisoning is generally symptomatic. 3 , 23 Administration of IV fluids and electrolytes is the standard response, but gastric lavage is appropriate if the beans or plant parts have been chewed. If the seeds have been swallowed whole, poisoning is unlikely to occur. 3 , 23 Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, dehydration, GI hemorrhage, anuria, fever, and hypotension, as well as signs of liver and renal toxicity. 3 , 4 |
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Indications
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Small quantities of castor seed are used in the villages as a mild laxative for children. The seeds made into a paste or poultice are reported to be applied to sores, boils and gouty or rheumatic swellings. In Veterinary practice, castor oil is a safe and effective purgative for most animals and may be given also to pregnant animals. Castor oil is commonly used for the preparation of hair-oils, hair fixers and aromatic perfumes. It is used as an ingredient in hair lotions and tonics in concentrations of 0.5-20 per cent. |
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Clinical Test
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