Castor Oil Plant

An oilseed crop, Ricinus communis, likely native to the Horn of Africa or the eastern Mediterranean and South Asia, regions where its wild relatives and early cultivation are best attested, though its precise center of domestication is debated. Castor oil, pressed from the plant's seeds, has been used for millennia as a lubricant, in traditional medicine and cosmetics, and more recently in industrial applications including biodiesel and specialty lubricants for machinery and aviation. The seeds themselves are highly toxic, containing the poison ricin, which is removed or deactivated during oil extraction; India, and particularly the state of Gujarat, is by far the largest modern producer.