The castor plant is native to the Ethiopian region of tropical East Africa and grows naturally and abundantly in the highlands (Alemaw et al. 2014) and some lowland rural areas of southern Ethiopia.
What is the castor-oil plant?
The castor-oil plant, also known as Ricinus communis or castor bean, is a large plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). It is grown commercially for the pharmaceutical and industrial uses of its oil and for landscaping (Gómez et al. 2016; Salihu et al. 2014b ).
Where does castor oil come from?
Lipid Insights. 2016; 9: 1¨C12. Castor oil, produced from castor beans, has long been considered to be of important commercial value primarily for the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, and coatings, among others. Global castor oil production is concentrated primarily in a small geographic region of Gujarat in Western India.
Which country produces the most castor oil?
India is known as the world leader in castor seed and oil production and leads the international castor oil trade. Castor oil production in this country usually fluctuates between 250,000 and 350,000 tons per year. Approximately 86% of castor seed production in India is concentrated in Gujarat, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.