140 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 



The flowers are small and inconspicuous. The seeds are borne 

 in capsules which are usually three-angled and from 1.5 to 2 

 centimeters in length. 



This species is found wild in the Philippines from northern 

 Luzon to southern Mindanao. It is also cultivated to a limited 

 extent. 



Genus JATROPHA 

 JATROPHA CURCAS L. (Fig. 48). TUBANG-BAKOD or PHYSIC NUT. 



Local names: Galumbdng (Pampanga); kirisol (Bulacan) ; takumbdu 

 (Zambales) ; fagiimbdu (Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Bontoc) ; tangan-tdngan 

 (Bataan, Manila) ; tangantdiigan-tiiba (Bulacan) ; taii-vd (Ilocos Sur) ; 

 taua-taud (Abra) ; tuba (Rizal, Manila, Camarines, Mindoro) ; tuba-tuba 

 (Leyte) ; tubang-bdkod (Laguna, Rizal). 



PHYSIC-NUT OIL 



The seeds of this species furnish an oil used as an emetic 

 and purgative. The oil has been used for illuminating purposes 

 in some parts of the Philippines. It is known in commerce as 

 curcas oil. According to Richmond and Del Rosario * this oil 

 belongs to the class of semidrying oils and is employed in the 

 manufacture of soaps and candles and also as an illuminant and 

 lubricant, but because of its drying properties it is not well 

 adapted for the last-mentioned purpose. In India it is used as 

 a purgative. A single fresh seed, eaten raw, may cause both 

 vomiting and severe diarrhoea. 



Lewkowitsch f states that the fresh oil has a pale color, but 

 becomes yellow with a reddish tint on exposure to the air. Its 

 unpleasant odor is characteristic, and may serve to distinguish 

 curcas oil from other oils; it is further characterized by its 

 strong purgative properties, which are much more pronounced 

 than those of castor oil. The constants of curcas oil are given 

 in Table 24. 



Table 24. — Constants of physic nut oil. 



'^ Lewkowitsch, J. Oils, fats, and waxes. 



'' and <^ Heyne, K., De Nuttige Planten van Nederlandsch-Indie (1913). 



* Richmond, G. F., and Rosario, M. V. del. Commercial utilization of some 

 Philippine oil-bearing seeds; preliminary paper. Philippine Journal of 

 Science, Section A, Volume 2 (1907), page 446. 



t Lewkowitsch, J., Oils, fats, and waxes (1915). 



