Castor Bean-Not a Bean At All

Castor Bean plants (Ricinus communis) are the source of two of the nastiest substances on earth.  The first, is castor oil.  YUCK!  This nasty substance has been used to treat “digestive issues” for a long time.  The taste of this stuff is so bad that it will make full grown men cry.  I only had to take it once, but it is a memory that still haunts me.  The other really bad thing that comes from this plant is ricin.  Ricin is a by product of the process used to make castor oil.  It is the most toxic substance on earth derived from a plant.  This stuff is so toxic that a TINY amount of refined ricin was used to kill a Bulgarian defector in 1978.  Georgi Markov was “shot” with a modified umbrella in the back of his leg with a tiny pellet the size of a pinhead.  This tiny pellet had two holes drilled through it to form a tiny “X’ through the center.  That space was filled with ricin.  Within three days, that tiny, tiny amount of ricin had killed Georgi.  Even though the ricin was not detected until after the autopsy, it would not have mattered.  There is no antidote for ricin poisoning.  Here is another scarey fact.  Quantities of refined ricin were found in caves in Afghanistan right after the invasion.
If you decide to grow Castor Beans, you really need to be aware that every part of the plant is toxic.  This includes the stems, leaves and the seeds.  One bean (really a seed) is enough to kill a child.  Two or more will kill most adults.  If you have a dog that likes to chew plants, then don’t grow them where the dog can get to them.  I would also not grow them if there are small children in the vicinity.