Castor oil is the same as:
- Palm kernel oil
- Castor oil
- American oil
Background
The term castor oil comes from the English term castor oil.
The reason for this name is that castor oil is extracted from castor beans, which come from the plant Ricinus communis (also known as oil plant or holly).
Ricinus communis does not belong to the bean family (Phaseolus) and its seeds (castor beans) are therefore not real beans.
Attribution: Martina Nolte, Andreas Früh (Share) – Wikipedia.org
Ricin
Castor beans contain ricin, which is a toxic protein. During the production of castor oil, the oil is heated, which neutralizes the protein and thus eliminates the harmful effects.
People who work in the harvesting of castor beans – and thus come into contact with the raw seeds and plants – risk permanent nerve damage as a result of contact with certain allergens on the plant's surface.
India, Brazil and China are the largest producers of castor beans and it is workers in castor plantations in these countries who experience the most health problems from contact with the plants and beans.