Arandi ke vividh Upyog

Abstract

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the ancient non-edible, multi-purpose, drought tolerant oilseed crop. It has a long history of more than 6000 years. Castor seeds were an important item of commerce in ancient Egypt. The castor seed is the source of numerous economically important products and is one of the world’s most important vegetable oils for industrial usage. Dioscorides named castor as Kroten or Kiki in Greek, and the genus Ricinus is derived from the latin term meaning ‘dog tick’ because of the resemblance of its seed as that of the common pest of dogs which Linnaeus retained. The plant’s common name was apparently coined by English traders who confused the oil with that from Vitex agnus-castus, known to the Spanish and Portuges in Jamaica as agno-casto.