237 BICINUS COMMUNIS 



General Characters and Composition. Good commercial castor 

 oil has a viscid consistence, and a specific gravity of about 0*96. 

 It is colourless, or' pale straw-yellow ; with scarcely any odour, 

 and a mild, somewhat unpleasant taste, which is succeeded by a 

 very slight acridity. Inferior oils have a brownish colour, a 

 nauseous odour, and a disagreeable acrid taste. Castor oil is 

 especially distinguished by its ready solubility in absolute alcohol 

 and in glacial acetic acid ; it is also soluble in about two volumes of 

 rectified spirit. It does not generally solidify until about ; 

 and when exposed to the air in thin layers, it slowly dries up to a 

 varnish, and hence it belongs to the class of drying oils. 



When saponified, castor oil yields several fatty acids, one of 

 which is supposed to be palmitic acid, and another, which is 

 peculiar to castor oil, is termed Eicinoleic acid. 



Medical Properties and Uses. Castor oil is a mild and most effi- 

 cient purgative, and is well adapted for infants and young children, 

 the puerperal state, and in irritable conditions of the alimentary 

 canal or of the genito-urinary organs. It is one of the safest 

 and most reliable purgatives we possess for the relief of obstinate 

 constipation. It has also been strongly recommended by Dr. 

 Johnson as an eliminant in malignant cholera, and has the high 

 authority of Sir Thomas Watson and numerous other practitioners 

 in its favour. 



In India, Algeria, &c., castor oil has been used for burning in 

 lamps, and the inferior qualities are also employed in India for 

 soap-making. 



Formerly the seeds were employed as a purgative, but on 

 account of their violent action, they are not now administered. 



The leaves have been also recommended in the form of a de- 

 coction or poultice, as an application to the breasts of women 

 to increase the secretion of milk. The decoction has also been 

 reputed to act as a lactagogue and emmenagogue when administered 

 internally. 



Per. Mat. Med., by B. & R., p. 531 ; Pharmacographia, p. 512; 

 U. S. Disp., by W. & B., p. 609; Gmelin's Chemistry, vol. xvii 

 (1866), p. 131 ; Groves, in Pharm. Journ., vol. viii, 2nd ser., 

 p. 250; Amer. Journ. Pharm., vol. xxvi, p. 207, and vol. xxvii, 



