The Mother Nature has provided us countless bounties ... some we understand of and some that are still hidden in the deep secrets waiting to be exposed and waiting to enrich our lives. One of these bounties is Jatropha, the physic nut. It is one of the most popular herbs and the term jatropha curcas is really a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name comes from Greek words for Iatros meaning physician and trophe meaning nutrition. So physic nuts or jatropha curcas, from the kingdom plantae is being studied extensively for it can be put to numerous usages in our every day lives.

To start with, jatropha curcas is finding excellent approval all over the world as a bio-doesel. The jatropha curcas seeds can be squashed to get the oil and this can be used as a bio-fuel. The residues can be utilized as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical energy generating plants. And this enables for a sustainable advancement. Not simply the seeds, but the plant as a whole is well fit to satisfy the growing ecological concerns. And why simply the bio-diesel, it can be used as air travel fuel, auto fuel and a host of other usages from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant find usages in basket making, decorative functions, and tanning leather and getting dyes. The plant even discovers usage in medicines for cough, balm lotions, toothpastes, cosmetics and is even used to produce excellent quality paper. The plant is, therefore, being put to nearly every credible usage possible.

Though it puts the concern of having a renewable source of energy at hands to a back burner, yet it requires to be supported and looked after to allow for a healthy plant development. And it has been observed that the Jatropha 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 preservation and human effort too. Because the irrigation financial investment is only one time expense of time, cash, effort and resources, it is being accepted as a sustainable option worldwide.

But it is not all goodie - goodie about the plant. The Jatropha plant has hazardous content. It has lectin, saponin, phorbol, toxalbumin curcin and is a trypsin inhibitor. In simple words, it can be damaging and in severe conditions, even deadly to consume untreated plant. The seeds have to be effectively roasted and dealt with before being utilized in any consumable usage. Since it has actually ended up being practical to deal with the toxic content, the plant consumption has also been increasing. To meet the increasing demands, the plant needs to be grown through different clinical techniques like in-vitro and ex-vitro propagation. This enables fast growth and for developing illness and bug resistant varieties of the plant. And a healthy crop will imply more fuel and much better environment on the whole.

It is in our hands to reside in harmony 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 enhance our lives. So, selecting Jatropha can be the initial step in enhancing the wealth called environment.