Research Journal of Medicinal Plants

Year: 2015 | Volume: 9 | Issue: 2 | Page No.: 48-59
DOI: 10.17311/rjmp.2015.48.59

Origin, Distribution, Ethnobotany and Pharmacology of Jatropha curcas

Akhilesh Kumar and S.K. Tewari

Abstract: Jatropha curcas L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a multipurpose perennial shrub/small tree, native to Mexico and Subtropical America, now grows naturally in most tropical areas of the world. It is an underutilized plant of multiple values. Various parts of the J. curcas are globally used for healthcare management of plants, human being and domesticated animals. Besides ethnomedicinal usages, this species have much other ethnobotanical, economic and ecological importance. Present review deals with origin and distribution, taxonomic description, ethnobotany, pharmacological activities, phytochemical properties and future prospective of this species.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, Euphorbiaceae, Jatropha curcas and ethnomedicine

INTRODUCTION

The word ‘Jatropha’ is derived from Greek words ‘Jatros’ and ‘trope’ (food/nutrition) which implies medicinal uses. The genus Jatropha belongs to family Euphorbiaceae and subfamily Acalyphoideae and includes about 175 species. Jatropha curcas L. syn Curcas purgans Medik., Ricinus americanus Miller, Castiglionia lobata Ruiz. and Pavon. Jatropha edulis Cerv., J. acerifolia Salisb., Ricinus jarak Thunb., Curcas adansoni Endl., Curcas indica A. Rich. and Curcas curcas (L.) Britton and Millsp etc., are the most important species of the genus. Linnaeus classified the plant in 1753 and gave it the botanical name Jatropha curcas (Heller, 1996; Krishnan and Paramathma, 2009). It has 2n = 22 chromosomes (Soontornchainaksaeng and Jenjittikul, 2003; Jha et al., 2007; Carvalho et al., 2008). It is commonly known as physic nut, purging nut, barbados nut and nutmeg plant in English. Other vernacular names of J. curcas are pinhão manso, mundubi-assu (Brazil), pourghère (French), purgeernoot (Dutch), purgiernuss (German), purgeira, pinha˜o-manso (Portuguese), fagiola d’India (Italian), galamaluca (Mozambique), kadam (Nepal), yu-lu-tzu (Chinese), habel meluk (Arab), kananaeranda, parvataranda (Sanskrit), safed arand, bagbherenda, jangaliarandi, ratanjot (Hindi), mogalierenda, erandagachh, ranayerendi, jamalgota, nepalamu, peddanepalamu, kadalamannku, kattamankku, adaluharalu, karnocchi, kattavanaka, jahazigzba, bongalibhotorna, borbandong (various parts of India), sabudam (Thai), bagani (Ivory Coast) butuje funfun (Nigeria), makaen (Tanzania), piñoncillo (Mexico), tempate (Costa Rica) and piñon (Guatemala) (Anonymous, 1959; Heller, 1996; Carvalho et al., 2008; Brittaine and Lutaladio, 2010; Erinoso and Aworinde, 2012).

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

The origin of J. curcas remains controversial as it can be found over a wide range of countries in Central and South America. It is native to Central America but now grows naturally in most tropical areas of the world (Burkill, 1994; Heller, 1996; Openshaw, 2000; Fairless, 2007). Portuguese introduced J. curcas in Asia and Africa as an oil yielding plant. In India it occurs in wild, semi wild and cultivated state in almost all biogeographical zones from the coastal areas to the outer Himalayan ranges (Anonymous, 1959).

Morphological description: Jatropha curcas is a multipurpose perennial shrub/small tree of 3-6 m height. It may be evergreen or deciduous, depending on climate. It has a short tap root, robust laterals and many fine tertiary roots. The stem is woody, erect, cylindrical, solid and branched. Branches are stout, green and semi woody. Leaves are palmate and have 5-7 shallow lobes and are arranged in alternate with spiral phyllotaxis. Length and widths of leaves varies from 16-21 and 14-18 cm and are cauline and ramel, ex-stipulate, petiolate. Petioles are 12-19 cm long. Venation is multicostate, reticulate and divergent type (Anonymous, 1959; Singh, 1970; Heller, 1996; Raju and Ezradanam, 2002; Bhattacharya et al., 2005; Achten et al., 2008; Brittaine and Lutaladio, 2010).

Jatropha atropha curcas is monoecious and the terminal inflorescences contain unisexual greenish yellow 17-105 male and 2-19 female flowers in loose panicle of cymes. The ratio of male to female flowers ranges from 13:1 to 29:1. The inflorescence is composed by a main florescence and a distinct coflorescence. There are nodes on the upper pedicels of male (staminate) flowers and no node on the upper pedicels of female (pistillate) flowers. The flowers are tiny (about 7 mm), unisexual, regular, petals are oblong and light green in colour and sepals are quinquepartite. Androecium is absent in female flower, present in male flower with ten stamens. Stigma are six furcated, dorsifixed and introrse. Gynoecium is absent in male flowers but present in female flowers and is tricarpellary, syncarpous with trilocular and superior ovary. Flowers are pollinated by moths and bees. Fruits trilocullar, ellipsoidal, sudrupaceous. The exocarp remains fleshy until the seeds become mature, finally separating into three cocci. The fruit is 2.5-3.5 cm long to 2-2.5 cm wide. Seeds are black, oblong, 2.5-3 cm long and 1 cm thick, more or less spherical or ellipsoidal (Fig. 1). Seed weight (10 seed) ranges from 53-77 g which contains 13.06-42.41% oil content.

ETHNOBOTANY AND ECONOMIC BOTANY

Jatropha curcas is emerging as an interesting multipurpose species within academic, civil society and policy makers. The seed oil can be easily converted into liquid biofuel which meets the American and European standards (Azam et al., 2005; Fairless, 2007; Tiwari et al., 2007). Various parts of J. curcas can be used for healthcare management of plants, animals and human being (Table 1). Besides biofuels and healthcare management, J. curcas is also useful to control soil erosion and improved water infiltration, to reclaim wasteland, phytoremediation of various contaminated soils, livestock barrier and land demarcation or live fence around agricultural fields, fuel wood and support for vanilla, green manure, soil carbon sequestration and sustainable environmental development. Other economic products obtained from various parts of J. curcas are glycerol, soap, cosmetics, varnish, dye, molluscicide, pesticide, fertilizer, synthesis of silver nano-particles (Heller, 1996; Mangkoedihardjo and Surahmaida, 2008; Bar et al., 2009; Jamil et al., 2009; Sharma and Pandey, 2009; Agamuthu et al., 2010; Brittaine and Lutaladio, 2010; Pandey et al., 2012; Warra, 2012).

Seeds are toxic for human (Kulkarni et al., 2005) and animal and are used as ordeal poisons for internal use in Africa (De Smet, 1998). Seed cake may also be used for human consumption after treatment (Schuh and Schuh, 2012).

PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Anti-bacterial activity: Acetone, chloroform, ethanol and methanol extracts of J. curcas root bark has been reported to inhibit the growth of both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative bacteria like Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli (Naqvi et al., 1991; Muanza et al., 1994; Tona et al., 1999; Sundari et al., 2011).

Anti-fungal activity: Various plant parts of J. curcas have antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger, Bacillus subtillis, Phymatotrichopsis omnivora, Candida albicans etc. which are responsible for many diseases in human being and plants (Naqvi et al., 1991; Muanza et al., 1994; Kubmarawa et al., 2007; Hu et al., 2011; Sundari et al., 2011).

Antiviral activity: The water extract of the branches of J. curcas strongly inhibit the HIV-induced cytopathic effects with low cytotoxicity (Matsuse et al., 1999). Latex of J. curcas possesses inhibitory property against Water melon mosaic virus (Tewari and Shukla, 1982).

Anti-inflammatory activity: Topical application of J. curcas root powder in paste form in mice and rats has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity by Mujumdar and Misar (2004).

Anti-oxidant activity: Root bark extract of J. curcas were capable of scavenging hydroxyl in a concentration dependent manner and have a stronger hydroxyl scavenging activity of compared with ascorbic acid (Sundari et al., 2011).

Coagulant and anticoagulant activities: Latex is a blood coagulant whereas dilute latex is anticoagulant. Curcin from seed produces deleterious effects to the blood (Osoniyi and Onajobi, 2003).

Anti-diarrhoeal activity: The petroleum ether and methanol extract of J. curcas roots shows anti-diarrhoeal activity in various species of albino mice (Mujumdar et al., 2000).

Pregnancy terminating effect: Pregnancy terminating effect of methanol, petroleum ether and dichloromethane extracts extract of J. curcas fruits in rats have been scientific reported by Goonasekera et al. (1995).

Wound healing activity: Wound healing activities of stem bark of J. curcas has been reported in literature (Villegas et al., 1997; Shetty et al., 2006; Igbinosa et al., 2009). Sachdeva et al. (2011) had scientifically evaluated wound healing potential of white soft paraffin base ointment containing 5 and 10% (w/w) extract of stem bark of J. curcas using incision and excision wound model in albino rats.

Insecticidal, larvicidal and anthelmintic activity: Various plant parts of J. curcas have been reported to possess insecticidal and larvicidal and anthelmintic activity. Insect pests of stored grains (Sitophilus zeamais and Rhyzorpertha dominica) are susceptible to seeds and pericarps of J. curcas (Silva et al., 2012). Ethanol extract of leaves of J. curcas may be as useful for developing a safe and ecofriendly therapeutic agent to combat the problems of tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and tick-borne diseases (Juliet et al., 2012). Jatropha curcas is a potential source of herbal mosquito control agent. Larvicidal activities methanol extract of leaves, crude protein extract and purified toxin, Jc-SCRIP, from the seed coat of J. curcas has the larvicidal potential against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles arabiensis, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Karmegam et al., 1997; Rahuman et al., 2008; Sakthivadivel and Daniel, 2008; Aina et al., 2009; Cantrell et al., 2011; Tomass et al., 2011; Kovendan et al., 2011; Nuchsuk et al., 2012). Aqueous extract of leaves of J. curcas possesses anthelmintic activity against Pheritima poshtuma (Ahirrao et al., 2008, 2011).

Phytochemicals: The leaf, bark and latex of Jatropha contains alkaloids such as jatrophine, jatropham, curcacycline A, curcain, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids and sapogenins with anti-cancerous properties (Van den Berg et al., 1995; Thomas et al., 2008; Debnath and Bisen, 2008). The seeds of J. curcas contains some toxic compounds such a protein (curcin) and phorbol-esters diterpenoids (King et al., 2009). The diterpenes isolated from Jatropha species belongs to rhamnofolane, daphnane, lathyrane, tigliane, dinorditerpene, deoxy preussomerin and pimarane skeletal structures and the majority of the diterpenes exhibited cytotoxic, antitumor and antimicrobial activities in vitro. Jatrophone, spruceanol and jatrophatrione exhibited antitumor properties against P338 lymphocytic leukaemia and japodagrol against KB carcinoma cells. Curcusone exhibited anti-invasive effects against cholangiocarcinoma cells. The phorbol esters (Jatropha factor C1-C6) and jatropherol exhibited insect deterrent/cytotoxic properties. Jatrophalactam, faveline derivatives, multifolone, curcusone, jatrophone derivatives etc. have shown in vitro cytotoxic activity. Japodagrin, jatrogrossidione derivatives and jatropholone derivatives exhibited antimicrobial activities. Jatropha diterpenoids having a wide spectrum of bioactivity could form lead compounds or could be used as templates for the synthesis of new compounds with better biological activity for utilization in the pharmaceutical industries (Devappa et al., 2011). Three deoxypreussomerins, palmarumycins CP1, JC1 and JC2, have been isolated from the stems of J. curcas (Ravindranath et al., 2004) which possess a wide range of biological properties including antibacterial, antifungal, herbicidal, antibiotic and antitumor activities (Wipf et al., 2001). Jatropha curcas seed oil chemically consists of triacylglycerol with linear fatty acid chain. Palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid, lauric acid, meristic acid, arachidic acid, arachidonic acid and behenic acid are some important fatty acids present in J. curcas seed oil (Adebowale and Adedire, 2006; De Oliveira et al., 2009). Li et al. (2010) identified a new chemical compound jatrophasin A (3,4,4’,5’-tetrahydroxyl-3’-methoxyl-bisepoxylignan) with strong anti-oxidative activity from the seeds of J. curcas.

CONCLUSION

Large scale seed production of J. curcas remains the single most important issue that will ultimately decide the success of this crop at commercial level. High seed productivity and oil content are desired for commercial utilization of this crop for biofuel production. The challenges of developing viable market for J. curcas are as follows:

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Authors are thankful to the director, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute for providing necessary facilities.

REFERENCES