After the launch of Brazilian program of biodiesel use and production (PNPB) in 2004, the oil seed production became an economic alternative for family farmers since they might have the chance to improve their income and supply the biodiesel enterprises with raw material. Theoretically speaking this picture is easy to draw, but until recently little scientific research was carried out aiming at...

This study was conducted to measure the antimicrobial activity of Jatropha curcas (Linn.) root bark extract against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activity was carried out using agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) was done using...

Present paper deals with the pharmacognostic studies of the fruits of J. curcas Linn. The 75-80 cells thick pericarp is differentiated into epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp. Mesocarpic zone embeds non-articulated laticifers, tannin containing idioblasts and randomly distributed vascular bundles. Endocarp shows the occurrence of fibrous sclereids. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the drug po...

BACKGROUND Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) is believed to have originated from Mexico and Central America. So far, characterization efforts have focused on Asia, Africa and Mexico. Non-toxic, low phorbol ester (PE) varieties have been found only in Mexico. Differences in PE content in seeds and its structural components, crude oil and cake from Jatropha provenances cultivated in Central and South...

This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of fifty-eight ethnomedicinal plants used in Trinidad and Tobago for skin problems, stomach problems, pain and internal parasites for safety and possible efficacy. Thirty respondents, ten of whom were male were interviewed from September 1996 to September 2000 on medicinal plant use for health problems. The respondents were obtained by snowball sampl...

Jatropha curcas plants species were tested to evaluate their phytoremediation capacity in soils contaminated by different levels of mercury. The experimental treatments consisted of four levels of mercury concentrations in the soil - T0, T1, T5, and T10 (0, 1, 5, and 10 μg Hg per g soil, respectively). The total mercury content absorbed by the different plant tissues (roots, stems and leaves) w...

A new approach to anti-viral therapy in recent years has been relying on the modeling and docking processes in the quest of novel inhibitors. Curcurin, an ribosome-inactivating protein, from Jatropha curcas Linn. (Euphorbiaceae), a herbal plant that has been used in traditional folk medicine in many tropical countries, was investigated against 2 proteins of Pandemic Influenza H1N1/2009. Althoug...

An environmentally benign process was developed for the transesterification of Jatropha curcas L. seed oil with methanol using artificial zeolites loaded with potassium acetate as a heterogeneous catalyst. After calcination for 5 h at 823 K, the catalyst loaded with 47 wt.% CH3COOK exhibited the highest efficiency and best catalytic activity. The easily prepared catalysts were characterized by ...

Plants used in traditional medicine in Bukoba Rural district in Tanzania were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activities. Plant materials from eight plant species (Harungana madagascariensis (Lam) Poir., Jatropha curcas L., Lantana trifolia L., Plectranthus barbatus Andr., Pseudospondias microcarpa Engl., Psorospermum febrifugum Spach, Teclea nobilis Del. and Vernonia adoensis [Warp....

Various government agencies around the world have proposed vegetable oils and their conversion to biodiesel as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Due to its adaptability to marginal soils and environments, the cultivation of Jatropha curcas is frequently mentioned as the best option for producing biodiesel. In the present work the current situation of proven and potential reserves of foss...