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Difference Between No. 1 Castor Oil & Castor Oil

Many people are familiar with castor oil as a staple of the home medicine cabinet, but this medicinal-grade remedy, more specifically referred to as pale pressed castor oil or AA standard castor oil, is only one variety of this useful plant-derived substance. Another, called No. 1 castor oil, has a number of industrial applications.

  1. What is Castor Oil?

    • Whether it is pale pressed castor oil (what most of us call simply castor oil) or No. 1 castor oil, all castor oil ultimately comes from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis. This plant is a native of Africa, and it is grown around the world as an ornamental garden plant, but India is now the largest producer of commercially grown castor bean plants, which are harvested for the seeds from which all castor oil is manufactured.

    How Are Pale Pressed Castor Oil and No. 1 Castor Oil Produced?`

    • Much as in the production of olive oil, the oil from castor beans is first extracted through high-pressure squeezing. The oil from this first, physical extraction of the beans is called pale pressed castor oil and is fit for human consumption in medicines. The remaining vegetable matter after the pale pressed oil has been removed is then subjected to chemical solvents that extract as much as possible of the remaining oil. The product of this chemical extraction is mixed with some of the originally pressed oil to form No. 1 castor oil, which is intended for industrial use rather than human consumption.

    Uses of Pale Pressed Castor Oil

    • By far, pale pressed castor oil's most well-known use is as an over-the-counter laxative taken to increase bowel regularity. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's torturers took advantage of this property of castor oil, force-feeding large amounts to prisoners and opponents in order to induce humiliating bouts of diarrhea. Pale pressed castor oil is also used as a neutral solvent to deliver alkaloid medicines; an example of this is the chemical atropine, which is dissolved in pale pressed castor oil to make eye drops used during ophthalmic surgery.

    Uses of No. 1 Castor Oil

    • There are many uses for industrial-grade No. 1 castor oil. It sometimes acts as a lubricant for machinery, is part of the mix that goes into the fluid that enables automobile brakes to stop the car, and can be a key ingredient in oil paints and some types of plastic. In addition, No. 1 castor oil is often used as a precursor chemical to produce other substances useful to manufacturers and chemical engineers.

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