The toxicity of the seeds is mainly due to the following seed components: a toxic protein (curcin) and diterpene esters. Curcin is similar to ricin — the toxic protein of the castor bean. The pure substances are the most potent toxins in the plant

kingdom and will kill human beings when administered in quantities of only a few micrograms. Also, use in animal nutrition is not possible without detoxification. Several universities like Hohenheim in Germany and the University of Sichuan in Chengdu, China, have been able to remove the toxic elements from Jatropha. Thus, in the future the seedcake can not only be used as an organic fertilizer, but also as animal feed.

The Russian KGB used ricin to kill people. Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian jour­nalist who lived in London, was killed in 1976, probably with ricin poison that was contained in an umbrella spike.

З.!.?

Whole Plant and Food/Fodder

As described above, the plant is widely cultivated in the tropics as a "living fence” in fields and settlements. This is mainly because it can be easily propagated by cuttings and is planted densely for this purpose. In Mali, for instance, there are several thousand kilometers of Jatropha hedges.

3.1.8