Castor Oil: Poison and Medicine

Castor Oil Plant: Poison and Medicine 

1. Poison 

Ricin 

Ricin is derived from the beans of the Castor Oil Plant

Most poisonous naturally occurring substances  

Very toxic to cell and damages all organs 

Per gram of Ricin is 6000 times more poisonous than cyanide

2. Medicine 

Castor Oil

One bean of the plant used to make castor oil can be fatal to an adult in minutes

When they make castor oil they remove a lethal compound called Ricin

Removal of Ricin makes the oil safe to consume.  

Castor oil has long been used to aid digestion

Ricin (Poison)

Ricin; The most poisonous plant in the World 

Ricin: Toxin works by the inhibition of protein synthesis

Death from Ricin posioning could take place within 36-72 hours of exposure

Ricin was used to attack Georgi Markov a Bulgarian writer

Castor Oil (Medicine)

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