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Medicinal Properties
Jatropha is used for diseases like cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis, dropsy etc.
Jatropha 1-2 roasted seeds are reported to act as a
purgative but larger doses may be dangerous. The seeds have been substituted for castor oil and are sometimes called ‘larger castor oil’.
The oil is widely used for skin diseases and to soothe pain such as that caused by rheumatism .
Jatropha
oil is used to stimulate hair growth. The seeds are also used in the
treatment of syphilis.
Juice or latex of Jatropha is applied directly to wounds and cuts as a styptic and
astringent to clean teeth, gums, and to treat sores on the tongue and in the mouth.
Jatropha
also has coagulating effects on blood plasma. A methanol extract of Jatropha
leaves afforded moderate protection for cultured human lymphoblastoid cells against the cytopathic
effects of the human immunodeficiency virus.
Preparations of the Jatropha plant, including seeds, leaves and bark, fresh or as a
decoction, are used in traditional medicine and for veterinary purposes. A leaf infusion is used as a diuretic, for bathing, to treat coughs, and as an enema in
treating convulsions and fits. Leaves are also used to treat jaundice, fevers,
rheumatic pains, guinea worm sores and poor development of the fetus in pregnant women. The leaves produce a sap that has haemostatic properties; it is used to
dress wounds. In Ghana the ashes from the burnt leaves are applied by rectal injection for haemorrhoids. The root bark is used to relieve the spasms of
infantile tetanus and is used for sores, dysentery and jaundice. The juice of the flowers has numerous medicinal qualities.
Storage and Trading
Seeds are oily and do not store for long. Seeds older than 15 months show
viability below 50%. High levels of viability and low levels of germination
shortly after harvest indicate innate (primary) dormancy.
Modern Study
Recently
an Artificial blood vessels developed from Jatropha by IIT- Madras. A biodegradable polymer recently developed from Jatropha
have attracted researchers from IIT-Madras to work towards a project in this direction. Medical institute SCTIMST and a belgium based
multi-national company have also evinced interest in this project. .
Jatropha was recently recommended as a biofuels crop for developing countries by UN
It is also useful for: Wasteland Reclamation and Reforestation, Income generation from previously unusable areas, Provide huge opportunities from new sustainable and renewable land resources
Jatropha also helps for crops Creating employment Nursery development, soil preparation, irrigation systems, Plantation maintenance, seed collection, oil extraction and Refinery control.
Benefit from the increased demand for employment in infrastructure, logistics and Transportation and Breaking the cycle of poverty
On December 30, 2008 Air New Zealand successfully completed a test flight from Auckland using a 50/50 mixture of jatropha oil and Jet A1 in one of the four
Rolls-Royce RB211 engines of a 747 jumbo jet. The two-hour test
flight could mark another promising step for the airline industry to find cheaper and more
environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. Air New Zealand announced
plans to use the new fuel for 10% of its needs by 2013. Jatropha oil is significantly cheaper than crude oil, costing an estimated $43 a barrel.
But the most regularly repeated claim about jatropha is that it will grow on
so-called marginal land, and will therefore not compete with food crops, found two major flaws with this argument.
First, marginal land is often used as a source of firewood or medicinal plants. Second, while jatropha may grow on such land, that does not mean it will produce
enough oil to be economically viable.
Economy
Jatropha cultivation generates an income of RS 25000(US$ 625) / ha and RS.150, 000(US$ 3750)/ha from
5th year onwards in existing system of farming and if grown in 200 hectares in a village, it can provide adequate employment to all landless workers all through the year.
Seed yields under cultivation can range from 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms per hectare, corresponding to
extractable oil yields of 540 to 680 litres per hectare (58 to 73 US gallons per acre).
While Jatropha holds a great deal of potential as a biodiesel feedstock, it is also important to acknowledge many hurdles must be
overcome before the crop can become economically viable in most parts of the world.
Jatropha is a valuable multi-purpose crop to alleviate soil degradation, desertification and deforestation,
which can be used for bio-energy to replace petro-diesel, for soap production and climatic protection, and hence deserves specific attention. Jatropha can help to increase rural incomes, self-sustainability and alleviate poverty for women, elderly,
children and men, tribal communities, small farmers. It can as well help to increase income from plantations and agro-industries.
Toxicity
Jatropha oil contains a toxin, curcasin. The albumen of the kernel is a
poison, toxalbumen cursin, most abundant in the embryo. Another poison, a croton resin, occurs in the seeds and causes redness and pustular eruptions of the
skin. The plant is listed as a fish poison. Aqueous extracts of J. curcas leaves were effective in controlling Sclerotium spp., an Azolla fungal pathogen.
The seed oil, extracts of J. curcas seeds and phorbol esters from the oil have
been used to control various pests, often with successful results. In Gabon, the seeds, ground and mixed with palm oil, are used to kill rats. The oil has
purgative properties, but seeds are poisonous; even the remains from pressed seeds can be fatal.
More information
1.Centre for Jatropha Promotion & Biodiesel (CJP)
It is the Global authority for scientific commercialization of Jatropha & other non-food biofuel crops and designs
and implements the growing of non-food biofuel crops worldwide in a structured Agri-Supply chain, Value additions
and research activities
2 . Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE). Dehra Dun, India.
3. Hahnemann Charitable Mission Society, 301,Mahaveer Nagar-II,Durgapura,Jaipur-302018
4. CENTRE FOR JATROPHA PROMOTION & BIODIESEL, B-132, SAINIK BASTI, CHURU- 331001, Rajasthan
5. Global Jatropha Training Programme And Jatropha Distance Learning Programme
6. Achten WMJ, Verchot L, Franken YJ, Mathijs E, Singh VP, Aerts R, Muys B Jatropha bio-diesel production and use.
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Jatropha curcas seed oil that are mosquito-repelling compounds
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified components of Jatropha curcas seed oil that are responsible for mosquito
repellency.
Researchers from USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency,
Agricultural Research Service (ARS), learned that people in India burn J
curcas seed oil in lamps to keep insects out of their homes and other
areas.They extracted smoke from the plant in a laboratory and analysed its
properties. Free fatty acids and triglycerides were among a number of
active compounds found to be effective at preventing mosquitoes from biting.
Scientists have identified triglycerides as having mosquito repellent activity, researcher Charles Cantrell said in a USDA statement. |
