(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)
Haiti:
- bwa kanpèch
Significant uses found by the TRAMIL surveys
traumatism
(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)
Guadeloupe:
- carapate
- karapat
- karapat blanc
Barbados:
- castor oil
Dominica:
- cawapat
Saint Lucia:
- cawapat
Dominican Republic:
- higuera
Haiti:
- maskèti
Martinique:
- palma Kristi
- ricin
Significant uses found by the TRAMIL surveys
leaf mashed, applied locally7
Recommendations
Preparation and Dosage
References
According to the information available:
The use of the seed oil for lymph node conditions, burns, rheumatism, twists and trauma is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.
If deterioration is observed in the patient or the lymph node condition, burn, rheumatism, twist or trauma persist for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.
All topical application must follow strict hygiene measures that prevent contamination or additional infection.
Traditional use should be limited to superficial burns (epidermal damage) that are minor (less than 10% of the body surface) and located outside high-risk areas such as the face, hands, feet and genitals.
The use for headaches, toothaches, the seed oil for lung disease, asthma, the leaves for burns and rheumatism is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the toxicity studies.
The use of the seed oil orally for constipation, lung disease, asthma and intestinal parasites is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the scientific information published.
For oral use of seed oil, use a single dose.
Due to the health risk of lung disease, asthma and lymph node conditions, an initial medical assessment is recommended. The use of this resource can be considered complementary to medical treatment, unless contraindicated.
The seed can produce hypersensitivity reactions.
Use the oil obtained in the traditional way according to the traditional procedures, or those as described by the pharmacy or authorised dispensary. Industrially produced castor oil for non-medical uses may not have undergone detoxification of the albumin by steam and may be a highly toxic product and imminently life-threatening if ingested.
Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 12 years.
For constipation:
take seed oil (purchased at a pharmacy or authorised health centre) at a dose of 1-3 tablespoons (15-45 millilitres) for adults, 1-3 teaspoons (5-15 ml) for children over 2 years of age and 1-5 ml for children under 2 years of age. Administer in a single oral dose on an empty stomach. If necessary, accompany with milk, tea or fruit juice38.
For burns, lung disease and asthma, lymph node conditions, headaches, rheumatism, twists or trauma:
wash the injury with boiled water and soap in particular in the case of burns, apply the oil on the affected area, 2-5 cc with a clean dressing or cloth in case of burns and in sufficient quantities for rubbing (for lung disease and asthma) or small massages with circular movements in the other cases.
Also for burns, headaches, rheumatism, twists and trauma, it is possible to take 30 grams of fresh or dried leaves, whichever the case may be, heat or crush them, apply to the affected area, cover with a clean cloth and change 2-3 times a day.
For toothache:
prepare a decoction with 30 grams of leaves in 4 cups (1 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in an open vessel. Allow to cool, strain (filter) and rinse 3 times a day, taking care not to swallow.
Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.
1 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d'Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.
2 JEAN-PIERRE L, 1988
TRAMIL survey. St Lucia national herbarium, Castries, St Lucia.
3 EDOUARD JA, 1992
Enquête TRAMIL. Lycée agricole, Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe.
4 FAUJOUR A, MURREY D, CHELTENHAM-CORBIN B, CARRINGTON S, 2003
TRAMIL survey. enda-caribbean, IICA & UAG, Saint Thomas, Barbados.
5 BALZ E, BOYER A, BURAUD M, 2007
Enquête TRAMIL à Marie-Galante. U. Bordeaux 3, U. Paris XI Chatenay-Malabry, UAG, Guadeloupe.
6 GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU L, GERONIMO M, AMPARO C, 1984
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
7 CHARLES C, 1988
TRAMIL survey. Movement for Cultural Awareness MCA, Roseau, Dominica.
8 BOULOGNE I, 2008
Enquête TRAMIL à Terre-de-Haut, Les Saintes, UAG, Guadeloupe (FWI).
9 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
10 BOYER A, BURAUD M, 2007
Enquête TRAMIL à La Désirade. U. Paris XI Chatenay-Malabry, UAG, Guadeloupe.
11 LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95
Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.
12 HEGNAUER R, 1973
Chemotaxonomy der Pflanzen. Basel, Schweiz: Birkhauser Verlag.
13 CHONKEL A, 1985
A propos de quelques graines toxiques existant à la Guadeloupe. Thèse Pharmacie, Montpellier, France.
14 DUKE JA, 1992
Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.
15 DUKE JA, ATCHLEY AA, 1986
Handbook of proximate analysis tables of higher plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press. p140.
16 DE SOUSA M, Matos ME, Matos FJ, MACHADO MI, CRAVEIRO AA, 1991
Constituintes químicos ativos de plantas medicinais Brasileiras. Laboratorio de produtos naturais, Fortaleza, Brasil: Ceará Edições UFC.
17 TSUPRIENKOVA T, 1982
Patente de autor de champú para el lavado del cabello (título original en ruso). URSS, A61K 7/06(53).
18 WENIGER B, 1992
Activités biologiques (cytotoxicité, effet sur la croissance, effet immunomodulateur) de drogues végétales de la Caraïbe utilisées par voie locale contre les brûlures, dans des systèmes de cellules animales et humaines en culture. Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
19 FRIAS AI, CABRERA H, GARCIA N, MORON F, VICTORIA MC, GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU, 2011
Efecto antiinflamatorio tópico del aceite de semilla de Ricinus communis (aceite de ricino) en el edema de la oreja inducido por aceite de Croton en ratones. Trabajo TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana, Cuba.
20 VERPOORTE R, DIHAL PP, 1987
Medicinal plants of Surinam IV. Antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants. J Etnopharmacol 21(3):315-318.
21 MISAS CA, HERNANDEZ NM, ABRAHAM AM, 1979
Contribution to the biological evaluation of Cuban plants. I. Rev Cub Med Trop 31:5-12.
22 TANIRA MO, AGEEL AM, AL-SAID MS, 1989
A study on some Saudi medicinal plants used as diuretics in traditional medicine. Fitoterapia 60(5):443-447.
23 CECIL, RUSELL LA FAYETTE, 1987
Compendio de Medicina Interna. Madrid, España: Ed. Interamericana.
24 MARTINEZ MJ, LOPEZ M, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de semillas frescas peladas y machacadas de Ricinus communis L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.
25 MARTINEZ MJ, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2003
Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de hoja seca y de hoja fresca de Ricinus communis L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.
26 ROCHA E SILVA M, 1943
Studies on poisonous plants in the state of Sao Paulo. Toxicological expts on 27 plants which have been suspected of toxicity. Arq Inst Biol (Sao Paulo) 14:15.
27 CANELLA CFC, TOKARNIA CH, DOBEREINER J, 1966
Experiments with plants supposedly toxic to cattle in Northeastern Brazil, with negative results. Pesqui Agropecu Brasil Ser Vet 1:345-352.
28 KHOLKUTE SD, MUDGAL V, DESHPANDE PJ, 1976
Screening of indigenous medicinal plants for antifertility potentiality. Planta Med 29(2):150-155.
29 KANERVA L, ESTLANDER T, JOLANKI R, 1990
Long-lasting contact urticaria from castor bean. J Amer Acad Dermatol 23(2):351-355.
30 GOWANLOCH JN, BROWN CA, 1943
Poisonous snakes, plants and black widow spider of Louisiana, Dept. Conservation, New Orleans,Louisiana. Book.
31 OZTEKIN-MAT A, 1994
Plant poisoning in Turkey. Ann Pharm Fr 52(5):260-265.
32 KOPFERSCHMITT J, FLESCH F, LUGNIER A, SAUDER P, JAEGER A, MANTZ JM, 1983
Acute voluntary intoxication by ricin. Human Toxicol 2(2):239-242.
33 CANIGUERAL S, 2003
Ricinus comunis. Vademecum de Fitoterapia, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, España, Jul.30,2003. URL: www.masson.es/book/fitoterapia.html
34 IRWIN R, 1992
Toxicity studies of castor oil in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (dosed feed studies). Natl Toxicol Program Tech Rep SER 1992:25.
35 WEE YC, GOPALAKRISHNAKONE P, CHAN A, 1988
Poisonous plants in Singapore - a colour chart for identification with symptoms and signs of poisoning. Toxicon 26(1):47.
36 ALONSO J, 1998
Tratado de fitomedicina. Bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina: ISIS ediciones SRL. p840.
37 FERNANDO R, 1988
Plant poisoning in Sri Lanka. Toxicon 26(1):20.
38 PERIS JB, STUBING G, 2003
Ricinus comunis. Vademecum de Fitoterapia, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, España, Jul.30,2003. URL: www.masson.es/book/fitoterapia.html
(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)
Guadeloupe:
- carapate
- karapat
- karapat blanc
Barbados:
- castor oil
Dominica:
- cawapat
Saint Lucia:
- cawapat
Dominican Republic:
- higuera
Haiti:
- maskèti
Martinique:
- palma Kristi
- ricin
Significant uses found by the TRAMIL surveys
seed oil, applied locally5
Recommendations
Preparation and Dosage
References
According to the information available:
The use of the seed oil for lymph node conditions, burns, rheumatism, twists and trauma is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.
If deterioration is observed in the patient or the lymph node condition, burn, rheumatism, twist or trauma persist for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.
All topical application must follow strict hygiene measures that prevent contamination or additional infection.
Traditional use should be limited to superficial burns (epidermal damage) that are minor (less than 10% of the body surface) and located outside high-risk areas such as the face, hands, feet and genitals.
The use for headaches, toothaches, the seed oil for lung disease, asthma, the leaves for burns and rheumatism is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the toxicity studies.
The use of the seed oil orally for constipation, lung disease, asthma and intestinal parasites is classified in the REC category based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the scientific information published.
For oral use of seed oil, use a single dose.
Due to the health risk of lung disease, asthma and lymph node conditions, an initial medical assessment is recommended. The use of this resource can be considered complementary to medical treatment, unless contraindicated.
The seed can produce hypersensitivity reactions.
Use the oil obtained in the traditional way according to the traditional procedures, or those as described by the pharmacy or authorised dispensary. Industrially produced castor oil for non-medical uses may not have undergone detoxification of the albumin by steam and may be a highly toxic product and imminently life-threatening if ingested.
Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 12 years.
For constipation:
take seed oil (purchased at a pharmacy or authorised health centre) at a dose of 1-3 tablespoons (15-45 millilitres) for adults, 1-3 teaspoons (5-15 ml) for children over 2 years of age and 1-5 ml for children under 2 years of age. Administer in a single oral dose on an empty stomach. If necessary, accompany with milk, tea or fruit juice38.
For burns, lung disease and asthma, lymph node conditions, headaches, rheumatism, twists or trauma:
wash the injury with boiled water and soap in particular in the case of burns, apply the oil on the affected area, 2-5 cc with a clean dressing or cloth in case of burns and in sufficient quantities for rubbing (for lung disease and asthma) or small massages with circular movements in the other cases.
Also for burns, headaches, rheumatism, twists and trauma, it is possible to take 30 grams of fresh or dried leaves, whichever the case may be, heat or crush them, apply to the affected area, cover with a clean cloth and change 2-3 times a day.
For toothache:
prepare a decoction with 30 grams of leaves in 4 cups (1 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in an open vessel. Allow to cool, strain (filter) and rinse 3 times a day, taking care not to swallow.
Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.
1 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d'Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.
2 JEAN-PIERRE L, 1988
TRAMIL survey. St Lucia national herbarium, Castries, St Lucia.
3 EDOUARD JA, 1992
Enquête TRAMIL. Lycée agricole, Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe.
4 FAUJOUR A, MURREY D, CHELTENHAM-CORBIN B, CARRINGTON S, 2003
TRAMIL survey. enda-caribbean, IICA & UAG, Saint Thomas, Barbados.
5 BALZ E, BOYER A, BURAUD M, 2007
Enquête TRAMIL à Marie-Galante. U. Bordeaux 3, U. Paris XI Chatenay-Malabry, UAG, Guadeloupe.
6 GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU L, GERONIMO M, AMPARO C, 1984
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
7 CHARLES C, 1988
TRAMIL survey. Movement for Cultural Awareness MCA, Roseau, Dominica.
8 BOULOGNE I, 2008
Enquête TRAMIL à Terre-de-Haut, Les Saintes, UAG, Guadeloupe (FWI).
9 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
10 BOYER A, BURAUD M, 2007
Enquête TRAMIL à La Désirade. U. Paris XI Chatenay-Malabry, UAG, Guadeloupe.
11 LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95
Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.
12 HEGNAUER R, 1973
Chemotaxonomy der Pflanzen. Basel, Schweiz: Birkhauser Verlag.
13 CHONKEL A, 1985
A propos de quelques graines toxiques existant à la Guadeloupe. Thèse Pharmacie, Montpellier, France.
14 DUKE JA, 1992
Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.
15 DUKE JA, ATCHLEY AA, 1986
Handbook of proximate analysis tables of higher plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press. p140.
16 DE SOUSA M, Matos ME, Matos FJ, MACHADO MI, CRAVEIRO AA, 1991
Constituintes químicos ativos de plantas medicinais Brasileiras. Laboratorio de produtos naturais, Fortaleza, Brasil: Ceará Edições UFC.
17 TSUPRIENKOVA T, 1982
Patente de autor de champú para el lavado del cabello (título original en ruso). URSS, A61K 7/06(53).
18 WENIGER B, 1992
Activités biologiques (cytotoxicité, effet sur la croissance, effet immunomodulateur) de drogues végétales de la Caraïbe utilisées par voie locale contre les brûlures, dans des systèmes de cellules animales et humaines en culture. Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
19 FRIAS AI, CABRERA H, GARCIA N, MORON F, VICTORIA MC, GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU, 2011
Efecto antiinflamatorio tópico del aceite de semilla de Ricinus communis (aceite de ricino) en el edema de la oreja inducido por aceite de Croton en ratones. Trabajo TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología. Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana, Cuba.
20 VERPOORTE R, DIHAL PP, 1987
Medicinal plants of Surinam IV. Antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants. J Etnopharmacol 21(3):315-318.
21 MISAS CA, HERNANDEZ NM, ABRAHAM AM, 1979
Contribution to the biological evaluation of Cuban plants. I. Rev Cub Med Trop 31:5-12.
22 TANIRA MO, AGEEL AM, AL-SAID MS, 1989
A study on some Saudi medicinal plants used as diuretics in traditional medicine. Fitoterapia 60(5):443-447.
23 CECIL, RUSELL LA FAYETTE, 1987
Compendio de Medicina Interna. Madrid, España: Ed. Interamericana.
24 MARTINEZ MJ, LOPEZ M, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de semillas frescas peladas y machacadas de Ricinus communis L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.
25 MARTINEZ MJ, MOREJON Z, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2003
Irritabilidad dérmica primaria de hoja seca y de hoja fresca de Ricinus communis L. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.
26 ROCHA E SILVA M, 1943
Studies on poisonous plants in the state of Sao Paulo. Toxicological expts on 27 plants which have been suspected of toxicity. Arq Inst Biol (Sao Paulo) 14:15.
27 CANELLA CFC, TOKARNIA CH, DOBEREINER J, 1966
Experiments with plants supposedly toxic to cattle in Northeastern Brazil, with negative results. Pesqui Agropecu Brasil Ser Vet 1:345-352.
28 KHOLKUTE SD, MUDGAL V, DESHPANDE PJ, 1976
Screening of indigenous medicinal plants for antifertility potentiality. Planta Med 29(2):150-155.
29 KANERVA L, ESTLANDER T, JOLANKI R, 1990
Long-lasting contact urticaria from castor bean. J Amer Acad Dermatol 23(2):351-355.
30 GOWANLOCH JN, BROWN CA, 1943
Poisonous snakes, plants and black widow spider of Louisiana, Dept. Conservation, New Orleans,Louisiana. Book.
31 OZTEKIN-MAT A, 1994
Plant poisoning in Turkey. Ann Pharm Fr 52(5):260-265.
32 KOPFERSCHMITT J, FLESCH F, LUGNIER A, SAUDER P, JAEGER A, MANTZ JM, 1983
Acute voluntary intoxication by ricin. Human Toxicol 2(2):239-242.
33 CANIGUERAL S, 2003
Ricinus comunis. Vademecum de Fitoterapia, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, España, Jul.30,2003. URL: www.masson.es/book/fitoterapia.html
34 IRWIN R, 1992
Toxicity studies of castor oil in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (dosed feed studies). Natl Toxicol Program Tech Rep SER 1992:25.
35 WEE YC, GOPALAKRISHNAKONE P, CHAN A, 1988
Poisonous plants in Singapore - a colour chart for identification with symptoms and signs of poisoning. Toxicon 26(1):47.
36 ALONSO J, 1998
Tratado de fitomedicina. Bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina: ISIS ediciones SRL. p840.
37 FERNANDO R, 1988
Plant poisoning in Sri Lanka. Toxicon 26(1):20.
38 PERIS JB, STUBING G, 2003
Ricinus comunis. Vademecum de Fitoterapia, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, España, Jul.30,2003. URL: www.masson.es/book/fitoterapia.html
(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)
Haiti:
- boul di mas
Dominican Republic:
- magueyito
Significant uses found by the TRAMIL surveys
hoja, decocción, vía oral2-3
Recommendations
Preparation and Dosage
References
According to published and other information:
Uses for late period (amenorrhea) without pregnancy, twisting and traumatism are classified as REC, based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, and on available published scientific information.
Topical use for headache is classified as REC, based on the significant traditional use (OMS/WHO)4 documented in the TRAMIL surveys.
Not for use by pregnant women for risk of abortion, during lactation or by children under 5 years old.
For late period (amenorrhea) other than pregnancy, apply treatment for three consecutive days.
Do not use decoction by oral administrationfor more than five consecutive days.
If the patient’s condition deteriorates, or if headache, twisting or traumatism persist for more than three days, seek medical attention.
Contact of the leaf with the skin may cause irritation5.
For headache, late period (amenorrhea), twisting or traumatism:
There is no available information establishing a means of preparation and dosage other than that referred to by traditional use.
Any medicinal preparation must be preserved cold and used within the 24 hours.
1 GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU L, GERONIMO M, AMPARO C, 1984
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
2 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d'Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.
3 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.
4 WHO, 1991
Pautas para la evaluación de medicamentos herbarios WHO/TRM/91.4 (original inglés). Programa de Medicina Tradicional, OMS, Ginebra, Suiza.
5 LAMPE KF, FAGERSTRÖM R, 1968
Plant toxicity and dermatitis: A manual for physicians. Baltimore, USA: Williams & Wilkins.
6 IDAKA E, OGAWA T, KONDO T, GOTO T, 1987
Isolation of highly acylated anthocyanins from Commelinaceae plants, Zebrina pendula, Rhoeo spathacea and Setcreasea purpurea. Agr Biol Chem 51(8):2215-2220.
7 YEOH HH, WEE YC, WATSON L, 1986
Taxonomic variation in total leaf protein amino acid compositions of monocotyledonous plants. Biochem Syst Ecol 14(1):91-96.
8 WENIGER B, HAAG-BERRURIER M, ANTON R, 1982
Plants of Haiti used as antifertility agents. J of Ethnopharmacology 6(1):67-84.
9 GUPTA M, ESPOSITO AVELLA M, 1988
Evaluación química y farmacológica de algunas plantas medicinales de TRAMIL. Centro de Investigaciones Farmacognósticas de la Flora Panameña CIFLORPAN, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá. TRAMIL III, La Habana, Cuba, MINSAP/enda-caribe.
10 PEREZ RM, 1996
Anti-inflammatory activity of Ambrosia artemisiaefolia and Rhoeo spathacea. Phytomedicine 3(2):163-167.
11 SUFFNESS M, ABBOTT B, STATZ DW, WONILOWICZ E, SPJUT R, 1988
The utility of P388 leukemia compared to B16 melanoma and colon carcinoma 38 for in vivo screening of plant extracts. Phytother Res 2(2):89-97.