Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 2008, 9, 315-324 315 1389-2010/08 $55.00+.00 © 2008 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. Therapeutic Biology of Jatropha curcas: A Mini Review Reena Thomas, Nand K Sah * and P. B. Sharma School of Biotechnology, Rajiv Gandhi Technological University, Airport Bypass Road, Gandhi nagar, Bhopal – 462 036 India Abstract: Jatropha curcas is a drought resistant, perennial plant that grows even in the marginal and poor soil. Raising Jatropha is easy. It keeps producing seeds for many years. In the recent years, Jatropha has become famous primarily for the production of biodiesel; besides this it has several medicinal applications, too. Most parts of this plant are used for the treatment of various human and veterinary ailments. The white latex serves as a disinfectant in mouth infections in chil- dren. The latex of Jatropha contains alkaloids including Jatrophine, Jatropham and curcain with anti-cancerous properties. It is also used externally against skin diseases, piles and sores among the domestic livestock. The leaves contain apigenin, vitexin and isovitexin etc. which along with other factors enable them to be used against malaria, rheumatic and muscular pains. Antibiotic activity of Jatropha has been observed against organisms including Staphylococcus aureus and Es- cherichia coli. There are some chemical compounds including curcin (an alkaloid) in its seeds that make it unfit for com- mon human consumption. The roots are known to contain an antidote against snake venom. The root extract also helps to check bleeding from gums. The soap prepared from Jatropha oil is efficient against buttons. Many of these traditional me- dicinal properties of Jatropha curcas need to be investigated in depth for the marketable therapeutic products vis-à-vis the toxicological effects thereof. This mini review aims at providing brief biological significance of this plant along with its up-to-date therapeutic applications and risk factors. Keywords: Jatrophine, anti-cancer, Latex, Toxalbumin, Ethnomedicine, Alkaloid, curcain, Biodiesel. INTRODUCTION Jatropha curcas is a large soft-wood, shrubby, drought resistant perennial plant, growing well even in the marginal or poor soil. It is easy to cultivate because it grows relatively quickly and keeps yielding seeds for some 50 years. The plant is also called as a humble, hardy tree. Jatropha is a shrubby tree with smooth grey bark which gives off a whit- ish coloured watery latex containing jatrophine when cut. Jatropha is a genus of Euphorbiaceae family with ap- proximately 175 species that manifest as succulents, shrubs and trees. These plants are the natives of Africa, North America and the Caribbean regions. Jatropha was dissemi- nated as a valuable hedge plant to Africa and India by the Portuguese traders. In many parts of the world the ancient systems of medicine have included Jatropha as a medicinal herb. This plant is prevalent in the Indian folklores with tre- mendous ethnobotanical significance. Jatropha is a very diverse subtropical and tropical genus which represents succulents and many interesting caudici- forms, herbaceous perennials and woody trees {Table 1 and Fig. (1a-f)}. Like all the members of the Euphorbiaceae fam- ily, Jatropha contains a milky sap that can irritate skin and can be extremely painful if it reaches the eyes. THE TAXONOMIC POSITION: Kingdom : Plantae *Address correspondence to this author at the School of Biotechnology, Rajiv Gandhi Technological University, Airport Bypass Road, Gandhi nagar, Bhopal – 462 036 India; E-mail: nandksah@yahoo.com Sub-kingdom : Tracheobionta Division : Magnoliophyta Class : Magnoliopsida Subclass : Rosidae Order : Euphorbiales Family : Euphorbiaceae Genus : Jatropha.L. Species : curcas : cinerea : gossypifolia : multifida : podagrica : integerrima The seeds of Jatropha curcas are dicotyledonous and dark brown in color with an average weight of about 705 mg when dry. The seeds resemble those of Ricinus communis in size and shape. The anterior end of the seed bears a caruncle like structure; whereas the posterior end is blunt. The seed has a thick stout seed coat (testa) with a ridge on the ventral side. Jatropha produces seeds with an oil content of about 35% that can be combusted as fuel after processing (Table 2). It burns with clear smoke-free flame. It has been tested suc- cessfully as a fuel for simple diesel engines. Our energy park hosts a modest working unit of production of biodiesel (100L/day) from the seed-oil of Jatropha curcas that fuels