Rasa (Taste)
Madhura, Katu, Kashaya
The primary taste perceived on the tongue.
Erand (Castor bean)
An evergreen, glabrous shrub, 2-5 m high.Leaves— palmately 7-many-lobed, lobes oblong to linear, acute or acuminate.Flowers— in large terminal subpanicled ra...
Medicinal Plant
Erand (Castor bean)
Ricinus communis · Euphorbiaceae
An evergreen, glabrous shrub, 2-5 m high.Leaves— palmately 7-many-lobed, lobes oblong to linear, acute or acuminate.Flowers— in large terminal subpanicled ra...
Scientific Name
Ricinus communis
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Hindi Name
Erand
Used Part
Root, Leaves, Seed, Oil.
Botanical Description
About the Erand Plant
Morphology and field-identification notes as documented in our Dravyaguna library.
An evergreen, glabrous shrub, 2-5 m high.Leaves— palmately 7-many-lobed, lobes oblong to linear, acute or acuminate.Flowers— in large terminal subpanicled racemes; in a dense globose head of branched filaments and anthers; yellowish. Fruits— Capsules, globosely oblong, smooth or echinate.Seeds— oblong, smooth, mottled. Flowers and fruits occur almost throughout the year.
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa Panchaka — Classical Properties
The five-fold framework Ayurveda uses to describe a drug — Rasa, Guna, Vipaka, Veerya and its effect on the doshas.
Guna (Qualities)
Guru, Sukshma, Snigdha, Tikshna
Physical and energetic attributes of the dravya.
Vipaka (Post-digestive Effect)
Madhura
Taste that emerges after complete digestion.
Dosha Karma (Action on Doshas)
Kapha Vata Shamaka
Effect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas.
Veerya (Potency)
Ushna
Heating (ushna) or cooling (sheeta) energy.
Ayurvedic Actions (Karma)
Virechana, Vrsya-(root), Deepana, Kushtaghna
Modern Phytochemistry
Chemistry & Pharmacology
How modern science maps onto the classical understanding of this dravya.
Pharmacological Action
What the Science Says
Purgative, Anti-inflammatory, Carminative, Fever, Ascites
Phytoconstituents
Active Compounds
Ricinine (toxic alkaloid), Lupeol, lipids, phosphatides,arachidic, ricinoluc, palmitic, strearic acids: hexa decanoic, hydrocyanic & uric acids; squalene and tocopherols
Therapeutic Usage
Clinical Applications of Erand
Classical Ayurvedic indications drawn directly from the Dravyaguna tradition — paired with the preparations recommended in shastra.
01
Boiling Erand root in milk and using it as a decoction helps in fever associated with jaundice. 2 Erand oil is beneficial for patients suffering from intestinal obstruction.
02
Mixing Erand bark, Trivrit oil and jaggery in equal quantities and consuming it, helps in cough.
03
Leaves of Vasa, Arka, and Erand should be used as a swedana (sudation/fomentation) treatment.
04
Erand is used as a purgative in abdominal diseases.
Always consult a qualified Ayurvedic physician before using any herb therapeutically. Dose, anupana and Prakriti-specific suitability matter.
Yoga / Kalpana
Classical Formulations
Common Ayurvedic preparations where Erand is a key ingredient.
- Gandharvahastadi Kashaya, Erandsaptak Kwatha, Gandharva Haritaki, Erand Pak
Shastra Pramana
Classical Reference
एरण्डयुग्मं मधुरमुष्णं गुरु विनाशयेत् ।शूलशथकटीबस्तिशिरःपीडोदरज्वरान् ।ब्रध्नश्वास कफा नाहकासकुष्ठाम मारुतान् ॥ Bha.P.Ni.