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Ricinus communis L. - Euphorbiaceae - castor, castor bean, castor oil plant, palma christi, Rizinus, Wunderbaum
Annual to perennial monoecious shrub, only known in culture (tropic Africa); often single-stemmed, whole plant often reddish or purplish; leaves palmately 7-11-lobed, peltate, serrate; flowers in panicles, small; male flowers yellowish-green, stamens creamy; female flowers with red stigmas; fruit a 3-seeded spiny or smooth capsule; seeds 7-12mm, grayish, silvery, or beige with darker markings. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012604
The seed oil (used as laxative) is extracted by cold pressing to avoid the highly toxic ricin from dissolving in the oil. Ingestion of only two seeds may be fatal.
[Medicinal Plants of the World. Ben-Erik Van Wyk and Michael Wink, Pretoria 2004, 274]
„Castor oil, also known as Oleum Palmae Christi, is obtained from the seeds of Ricinus communis and has been used therapeutically for centuries, being first described in the Ebers papyrus of ancient Egypt more than 3,500 y ago. Castor oil is a triglyceride characterized by a high content of the hydroxylated unsaturated fatty acid ricinoleic acid [(9Z,12R)-12-hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid]. After oral ingestion of castor oil, ricinoleic acid is released by lipases in the intestinal lumen, and considerable amounts of ricinoleic acid are absorbed in the intestine. The released ricinoleic acid induces a strong laxative effect. There is also a well-documented labor-inducing effect of castor oil in pregnant females at term; however, use of this drug for labor induction is not recommended because of unwanted effects, such as nausea.
… the EP3 prostanoid receptor is specifically activated by ricinoleic acid and that it mediates the pharmacological effects of castor oil. In mice lacking EP3 receptors, the laxative effect and the uterus contraction induced via ricinoleic acid are absent.“
[Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors., Tunaru, S., Althoff, T.F., Nüsing, R.M., Diener, M., Offermanns, S., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(23), 2012, 9179-9184] http://www.pnas.org/content/109/23/9179.full