The Nature has given us innumerable bounties ... some we know of and some that are still concealed in the deep secrets waiting to be exposed and waiting to enrich our lives. One of these bounties is jatropha curcas, the physic nut. It is one of the most popular herbs and the term is in fact a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name comes from Greek words for Iatros meaning doctor and trophe meaning nutrition. So physic nuts or jatropha curcas, from the kingdom plantae is being studied extensively for it can be put to many uses in our every day lives.

To start with, Jatropha is finding excellent acceptance all over the world as a bio-doesel. The jatropha curcas seeds can be squashed to get the oil and this can be utilized as a bio-fuel. The residues can be used as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical power creating plants. And this enables a sustainable development. Not just the seeds, but the plant as a whole is well matched to meet the growing ecological concerns. And why just the bio-diesel, it can be used as aviation fuel, auto fuel and a host of other usages from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant find uses in basket making, decorative functions, and tanning leather and acquiring dyes. The plant even discovers use in medicines for cough, balm ointments, toothpastes, cosmetics and is even used to produce good quality paper. The plant is, for that reason, being put to nearly every thinkable usage possible.

Though it puts the concern of having a renewable source of energy at hands to a back burner, yet it needs to be supported and looked after to permit for a healthy plant development. And it has been observed that the jatropha curcas plants tax our water resources. So, they are grown in areas with a lot of rains. This cuts the concern on the water resources, enables water conservation and human effort too. Because the irrigation investment is just one time expenditure of time, money, effort and resources, it is being accepted as a sustainable alternative worldwide.

But it is not all goodie - gift about the plant. The jatropha curcas plant has harmful content. It has lectin, saponin, phorbol, toxalbumin curcin and is a trypsin inhibitor. In simple words, it can be harmful and in extreme conditions, even fatal to take in neglected plant. The seeds need to be correctly roasted and treated before being used in any consumable usage. Since it has ended up being feasible to treat the harmful material, the plant intake has actually also been rising. To fulfill the increasing demands, the plant needs to be grown through various clinical approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro propagation. This permits rapid development and for developing illness and bug resistant ranges of the plant. And a healthy crop will indicate more fuel and much better environment on the whole.

It is in our hands to live in consistency with the nature, and it is our options that figure out the result of the interaction we have with the nature. If we pick environment friendly items, we enrich our lives. So, selecting jatropha curcas can be the primary step in improving the wealth called environment.