castor bean

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castor bean

castor bean bean produced by Ricinus communis, a plant of the spurge family, widely cultivated as an ornamental. Moles die when they eat the roots. It has long been used as an ordeal poison in parts of Africa. Ricin, the toxic protein found in the bean seeds, can be extracted and used as a poison or chemical weapon, but it is not as poisonous or as readily absorbed as other such weapons. Castor oil is also extracted from the beans.

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"castor bean." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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castor oil

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

cas·tor oil • n. a pale yellow oil obtained from castor beans, used as a purgative and a lubricant and in manufacturing oil-based products.

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"castor oil." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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ricin

A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition | 2005 | | Â© A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

ricin A lectin in the castor oil bean.

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DAVID A. BENDER. "ricin." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "ricin." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-ricin.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	BioSolar Reveals Secret of Less Costly Solar Power: Cotton and Castor Beans. Business Wire; 8/12/2008
	Ricin Cop Tests for Castor Derivative News Wire article from: AP Online; 3/21/2008
	Fujitsu Develops New Bio-Based Polymer from Castor Oil. News Wire article from: JCN Newswires; 12/7/2006

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	OPINION: Castor bean is controversial. News Wire article from: Creston News Advertiser (Creston, IA); 8/27/2008; 700+ words ; ...quickly it is called a castor bean or castor oil plant...are several more castor bean plants growing in yards...plant are called castor beans, but they aren't really...terrorists might use. The castor bean plant is in the species...made from the castor ...
	Profile: Background of the castor bean plant, a poisonous plant that produces ricin Transcript from: NPR Morning Edition; 1/9/2003; ; 683 words ; ...a seedless variety of castor bean was available, he might...focused on the castor bean as a source of the toxin...similar fate may await castor beans like Carmencita. Ms...Pictures of the castor bean plant are at npr.org...
	IN YOUR BACK YARD; CASTOR BEAN: BOTH A MEDICINE, POISON Newspaper article from: Dayton Daily News; 2/19/2004; ; 633 words ; ...castor oil doesn't come from Castor canadensis, but rather from an attractive plant known as the castor bean. It's not hardy around...almost all mole repellents is castor oil. But even though castor...from castor beans, and one bean can be fatal to a child. ...
	IN YOUR BACK YARD; CASTOR BEAN A MEDICINE AND POISON Newspaper article from: Dayton Daily News; 2/19/2004; ; 634 words ; ...castor oil doesn't come from Castor canadensis, but rather from an attractive plant known as the castor bean. It's not hardy around...almost all mole repellents is castor oil. But even though castor...from castor beans, and one bean can be fatal to a child. ...
	IN YOUR BACK YARD; CASTOR BEAN A MEDICINE AND A POISON Newspaper article from: Dayton Daily News; 2/19/2004; ; 632 words ; ...castor oil doesn't come from Castor canadensis, but rather from an attractive plant known as the castor bean. It's not hardy around...almost all mole repellents is castor oil. But even though castor...from castor beans, and one bean can be fatal to a child. ...
	CASTOR BEANS IN GARDEN CAN BE DEADLY.(HOME) Newspaper article from: The Virginian Pilot; 10/20/1996; 543 words ; ...A reader recently inquired about castor beans and your reply was to use them for...control. Readers should be warned that castor beans are poisonous. The ingestion...visited many gardens where people grew castor beans as an ornamental, but readers...
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	IT SOUNDS SCARY, BUT RICIN'S USED DAILY REMEMBER CASTOR OIL? SHAMPOO TO NECKLACES USE BEAN.(News) Newspaper article from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA); 2/4/2004; 700+ words ; ...concentrate of the castor bean that is so deadly...The same castor beans used to make ricin...and shampoo. The beans are often polished...cheap because castor bean plants often grow...extracted from castor bean easily by kitchen...a batch of castor ...
	Castor beans for biodiesel production Magazine article from: International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials : INFORM; 9/1/2007; ; 414 words ; ...Jamaica have proposed cultivating castor bean, a shrub that already grows in...that biodiesel produced from castor beans could be used as a fuel blend to...annually. Advantages of cultivating castor bean in Jamaica include that the plant...
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