|  | Public Health Safety | Public Health

The Poison From the Seeds of the Castor Oil Plant

The castor bean plant is also known as the castor oil plant and the palma christi. Historically, it is the the seeds of the castor bean plant that are of interest. The seeds have a valuable oil that also contains extremely toxic compounds. A member of the genus Ricinus, the castor bean plant has no immediate relatives and is native only to Africa, according to the Union County College website. However, the species has been introduced around the world.

  1. Description

    • A member of the Euphorbiaceae family, the shrub-like, fast-growing castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) is an annual herb with red-purplish stems. Leaves are large, star-shaped with 5 to 11 lobes that reach 3 feet in length. Flowers lack petals and are mostly inconspicuous; the female flowers are pink and the male flowers are white. Seeds are slightly flattened and a mosaic of muted gray, black, maroon, yellow-brown and shades of white.

    Toxic Components

    • Extremely toxic components of the seeds include the alkaloid ricinine and the protein ricin. The most dangerous is ricin, a deadly poison abundant in the seeds and in smaller amounts in the rest of the plant. Ricin, a water soluble protein, inhibits protein synthesis in the cells of animals which, in turn, leads to their death, according to Union County College.

    Seed Poison

    • Because ricin in extremely toxic, it takes very little to kill adults and children. Several seeds, or the equivalent of 0.5 mg, can kill an adult and only one seed can cause the death of a child. For animals, death by poisoning occurs when the seeds are chewed or ingested when broken; six seeds can kill a horse or an ox. Seeds remaining intact may be able to pass through the digestive system without releasing ricin.

    Seed Oil

    • Nearly half the weight of the seed is made up of castor oil. The oil is a viscid fluid, nearly colorless when pure with a slight odor and highly nauseous and disagreeable taste, according to the Botanical website. Mostly ricinoleic acid, the oil from the seeds also has small amounts of dihydroxystearic, steric, linoleic and oleic acids.

    Poisoning Symptoms

    • Poisoning symptoms can begin immediately or within hours after being exposed by inhalation or ingestion. Symptoms include vomiting, stomach irritation and pain, bloody diarrhea, low blood pressure, depression, an increase in heart rate, profuse sweating, convulsion, collapse and coma. Death can happen within a few days according to Union County College. If a victim does not die within three to five days, recovery is possible. Skin contact with broken seeds can also cause a severe allergic reaction.

Public Health - Related Articles