Castor oil plant has now naturalised throughout Australia and is found in all states and territories except Tasmania.
Global castor oil production is concentrated primarily in a small geographic region of Gujarat in Western India.
India is the largest producer of castor oil in the world.
Jamaican Cold-Pressed Castor Oil is considered to be the purest and highest quality form of castor oil, the beans are authentically extracted without the use of heat, therefore lowering the risk of degrading the oil.
Africa and most probably originated in Ethiopia. It is also possible that castor is originated in the tropical belt of both India and Africa. In India, castor is known from very early days and is referred to in Sanskrit literature.
Pune: China plans to import large quantities of castor seed from India, which can create a scarcity of raw material for the local edible oils industry, a leading trade body said. "During the last few months, China has been aggressively buying Commodities to bolster their State Reserves.
The pandemic has caused major disruptions in the supply chain, reduced demand for castor oil products, and affected the workforce. The lockdowns and restrictions on transportation led to delays and shortages in the supply of raw materials that affected the production processes.
The chemical reactivity of the alcohol group also allows chemical derivatization that is not possible with most other seed oils. Because of its ricinoleic acid content, castor oil is a valuable chemical in feedstocks, commanding a higher price than other seed oils.
The name "castor" was given to the plant by English traders who confused its oil with the oil of another shrub, Vitex agnus —Castus, which the Spanish and Portuguese in Jamaica called agno-casto. The scientific name of the plant was given by the eighteenth-century Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus.
Coles Express brings the Castor oil which is currently one of the most widely used beauty ingredients due to its beneficial effect on skin, hair & health.
Normally castor oil has a shelf-life of up to one year. It is said that cold-pressed castor oil can also be used for five years. When castor oil is sealed and packed properly, it can be used effectively until its expiry period and maybe sometimes longer than that.
It is now recognized as an effective lubricant for pelvic rehabilitation and improvement of the sexual experience. Castor oil is a natural and organic alternative to synthetic lubricants and is safe for use with vaginal dilators, pelvic floor exercises, and general sexual activity.
Castor oil is mentioned in the Ebers papyrus in recipes intended to treat numerous health conditions and ailments. Castor oil was used in other areas of ancient and medieval Africa to cure leather, in skin and hair preparations and as a medicinal agent.
Taken orally, large amounts of castor oil can be poisonous. Symptoms of overdose include abdominal cramps, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Use castor oil as directed to avoid unintentional overdose.
Plain, or pharmacy-grade, castor oil is typically colorless or a very pale yellow. JBCO, in comparison, is a rich amber to deep brown color. The color is the result of the ash content from roasted castor beans. It's this ash addition that devotees of this oil connect with its growth properties.
“Regular” castor oil is generally pale yellow to clear in color. Jamaican Black Castor Oil is exactly the opposite. The beans are roasted to produce a dark color. The color is actually ash.
What is the key difference between castor oil and black Jamaican castor oil? The colour of black Jamaican castor comes from an extra step of roasting castor plant seeds. It makes it more alkaline which may have positive impact on hair lengths if oil is applied directly.
Jamaican black castor oil contains all the same hair loving properties as the traditional light-yellow stuff, but what makes it so special is the way it opens up the hair shaft better than regular castor oil. And that's all because of that roasting process!
JBCO has a higher pH level as compared to regular castor oil because of its alkalinity. This higher pH is due to the ash. JBCO is known to have clarifying property which is attributed to its alkaline nature. These are the primary differences of the oils.