The Nature has offered us innumerable bounties … some we understand of and some that are still concealed in the deep secrets waiting to be exposed and waiting to enrich our lives. Among these bounties is Jatropha, the physic nut. It is among the most popular herbs and the term jatropha curcas is actually a “genus” covering some 175 plants together. The name originates from Greek words for Iatros indicating physician and trophe significance nutrition. So physic nuts or Jatropha, from the kingdom plantae is being studied extensively for it can be put to many usages in our .

To start with, Jatropha is finding excellent approval all over the world as a bio-doesel. The Jatropha seeds can be crushed to obtain the oil and this can be used as a bio-fuel. The residues can be utilized as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical energy generating plants. And this permits a sustainable development. Not just the seeds, but the plant as a whole is well suited to fulfill the growing environmental concerns. And why just the bio-diesel, it can be utilized as air travel fuel, vehicle fuel and a host of other usages from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant discover uses in basket making, decorative functions, and tanning leather and getting dyes. The plant even discovers use in medicines for cough, balm ointments, toothpastes, cosmetics and is even utilized to produce good quality paper. The plant is, therefore, being put to nearly every imaginable use possible.

Though it puts the worry of having a renewable source of energy at hands to a back burner, yet it needs to be nurtured and looked after to enable for a healthy plant growth. And it has been observed that the jatropha curcas plants tax our water resources. So, they are grown in areas with plenty of rainfall. This cuts the problem on the water resources, allows water conservation and human effort too. Because the irrigation financial investment is only one time cost of time, money, effort and resources, it is being accepted as a sustainable option worldwide.

But it is not all goodie - goodie about the plant. The jatropha curcas plant has toxic content. It has lectin, saponin, phorbol, toxalbumin curcin and is a trypsin inhibitor. In basic words, it can be hazardous and in extreme conditions, even fatal to take in untreated plant. The seeds have to be appropriately roasted and treated before being used in any consumable use. Since it has ended up being practical to deal with the hazardous content, the plant consumption has actually also been rising. To satisfy the increasing demands, the plant has actually to be grown through numerous scientific approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro propagation. This enables for fast growth and for developing illness and bug resistant varieties of the plant. And a healthy crop will imply more fuel and better environment on the whole.

It remains in our hands to live in harmony with the nature, and it is our choices that determine the result of the interaction we have with the nature. If we select environment friendly items, we enrich our lives. So, picking jatropha curcas can be the initial step in enhancing the wealth called environment.