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Ricinus communis - Gandharvataila

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Castor beans, Gandharvataila

Ricinus communis is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant. Castor oil is a colorless to very pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor once first ingested.

Uses

Wounds, Cuts, Snakebites, Curing liver disorders, Skin eruptions, Blotches, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats.[1]

Parts Used

Root, Leaf, Seed, Extracted Oil.

Chemical Composition

Contains volatile oils, flavonoids, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, tiliroside, triterpene glycosides including euscapic acid and tormentic acid, phenolic acids, and 3%–21% tannins[2]

Common names

Language Common name
Kannada Oudla
Hindi Arandi
Malayalam Chittamankku
Tamil Amanakku
Telugu Amuda
Marathi NA
Gujarathi NA
Punjabi NA
Kashmiri NA
Sanskrit Yeranda
English Castor bean


Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Dravya

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Prabhava

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind Shape Feature
Simple Alternate Palmately 6-8-lobed, peltate, to 20 x 24 cm; lobes 9-15 x 3-6 cm, lanceolate, margin coarsely serrate, apex acuminate; petiole to 18 cm long.

[3]

Flower

Type Size Color and composition Stamen More information
Unisexual Terminal paniculate racemes Yellow Many Male flowers below, female ones above. Male flowers: perianth cupular, 3-5-lobed, c. 4 mm long, lanceolate; stamens many, filaments connate, repeatedly branched. Flowering season is December to March

Fruit

Type Size Mass Appearance Seeds More information
Capsule 1.6-2 cm across 3-lobed, Prickly Seeds oblong, Smooth, Marbled, Carunculate Fruiting season is December to March

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

Vishatinduka Taila, Maharasnadi kashayam, Chaturmukha ras, Eranda pak, Gandharvahastadi kashayam, Lohaasava [4]

Where to get the saplings

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

How to plant/cultivate

Can be easily grown from seed. The seeds are explosively released when the fruit are mature, thereby aiding their spread. They are also often dispersed by floodwaters and animals (e.g. rodents and birds). Humans also spread the seeds in dumped garden waste, mud, soil and on vehicles and machinery.[5]

Commonly seen growing in areas

Roadsides, Vacant plots, Wastelands.

Photo Gallery

References

  1. Karnataka Medicinal Plants Volume - 2 by Dr.M. R. Gurudeva, Page No. 746
  2. Sciencedirect
  3. Cultivation details
  4. Ayurvedic preparations
  5. Cultivation details

External Links