Castor oil

Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean (or preferably castor seed as the castor plant (Ricinus communis) is not a member of the bean family).

Related Topics:
Vegetable oil - Castor bean - Bean

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Castor oil is extremely versatile and unique in its composition, maintaining its fluidity at both extremly high and low temperatures. Castor oil consists of 90 percent unsaturated C:18 ricinoleic fatty acid. It is also a major source of sebacic acid.

Related Topics:
Unsaturated - Ricinoleic - Fatty acid - Sebacic acid

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Castor oil and its derivatives have applications in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes, nylon, pharmaceuticals and perfumes.

Related Topics:
Soap - Lubricant - Brake fluid - Paint - Dye - Coating - Ink - Plastics - Wax - Nylon - Pharmaceuticals - Perfume

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The poison ricin is made from the byproducts in the manufacture of castor oil.

Related Topics:
Poison - Ricin - Byproduct

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About 1 percent of global castor oil production goes into medical or health store products. It is used to ease constipation and as an emetic to induce vomiting. Consumption of large amounts of castor oil (below lethal doses, such as one bottle) can induce labor in near-term pregnant women. It is notorious for its strong taste, which was for many years a standard gag in comic strips, animated cartoons, and Our Gang short films.

Related Topics:
Constipation - Emetic - Vomit - Labor - Pregnant - Comic strip - Animated cartoon - Our Gang - Short film

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