Citation

Kumar KJ, Kumar G MV, Devapura B, Sujithkumar T. Natl. Med. J. India 2013; 26(6): 359.

Affiliation

Department of Paediatrics, J.S.S. Medical College J.S.S. University, Mysore Karnataka.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

25074001

Abstract

Courtesy of Wikipedia:
Jatropha curcas ( Sanskrit : danti दन्ती, pratyanshrani प्रत्यक्श्रेणी ) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, becoming naturalized in some areas. Common names include Barbados Nut, Purging Nut, Physic Nut, or JCL (abbreviation of Jatropha curcas Linnaeus).

J. curcas is a poisonous, semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 6 m (20 ft). It is resistant to a high degree of aridity, allowing it to be grown in deserts.

The seeds contain 27-40% oil (average: 34.4%) that can be processed to produce a high-quality biodiesel fuel, usable in a standard diesel engine. The seeds are also a source of the highly poisonous toxalbumin curcin or jatrophin.

Language: en