The Mother Nature has actually offered us many 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 among the most popular herbs and the term Jatropha is really a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name comes from Greek words for Iatros implying 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 many usages in our every day lives.

To begin with, jatropha curcas is finding excellent acceptance all over the world as a bio-doesel. The jatropha curcas seeds can be crushed to get the oil and this can be utilized as a bio-fuel. The residues can be utilized as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical energy creating plants. And this permits for a sustainable advancement. Not simply the seeds, however the plant as a whole is well fit to fulfill the growing ecological concerns. And why simply the bio-diesel, it can be used as aviation fuel, auto fuel and a host of other uses from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant find usages in basket making, ornamental purposes, 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, therefore, being put to nearly every credible usage possible.

Though it puts the worry of having an eco-friendly source of energy at hands to a back burner, yet it needs to be nurtured and cared for to enable a healthy plant development. And it has been observed that the Jatropha plants tax our water resources. So, they are grown in locations with lots of rainfall. This cuts the burden on the water resources, enables water conservation and human effort too. Because the watering investment is only one time expenditure of time, money, effort and resources, it is being accepted as a sustainable alternative worldwide.

But it is not all gift - goodie about the plant. The Jatropha plant has poisonous content. It has lectin, saponin, phorbol, toxalbumin curcin and is a trypsin inhibitor. In easy words, it can be harmful and in extreme conditions, even deadly to consume without treatment plant. The seeds need to be correctly roasted and treated before being used in any consumable usage. Since it has become possible to deal with the poisonous material, the plant intake has actually also been rising. To satisfy the increasing demands, the plant needs to be grown through different scientific approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro propagation. This enables for quick development and for developing disease and pest resistant varieties of the plant. And a healthy crop will indicate more fuel and better environment on the whole.

It remains 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 select environment friendly products, we enrich our lives. So, choosing Jatropha can be the first action in the wealth called environment.