The Mother Nature has given us countless bounties ... some we understand of and some that are still concealed in the deep secrets waiting to be revealed and waiting to enhance our lives. Among these bounties is jatropha curcas, the physic nut. It is among the most popular herbs and the term jatropha curcas is in fact a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name comes from Greek words for Iatros meaning physician and trophe significance nutrition. So physic nuts or Jatropha, from the kingdom plantae is being studied commonly for it can be put to many usages in our lives.

To start with, jatropha curcas is finding excellent acceptance all over the world as a bio-doesel. The Jatropha seeds can be squashed to obtain the oil and this can be used as a bio-fuel. The residues can be utilized as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical power generating plants. And this enables a sustainable development. Not just the seeds, but the plant as a whole is well fit to satisfy the growing ecological concerns. And why just the bio-diesel, it can be utilized as air travel fuel, car fuel and a host of other usages from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant find usages in basket making, decorative purposes, and tanning leather and acquiring dyes. The plant even finds use in medicines for cough, balm ointments, tooth pastes, cosmetics and is even utilized to produce good quality paper. The plant is, for that reason, being put to almost every imaginable use possible.

Though it puts the worry of having a renewable source of energy at hands to a back burner, yet it needs to be supported and looked after to permit a healthy plant growth. And it has been observed that the jatropha curcas plants tax our water resources. So, they are grown in areas with plenty of rainfall. This cuts the burden on the water resources, enables water conservation and human effort too. Because the watering investment is just one time expenditure of time, money, effort and resources, it is being accepted as a sustainable choice worldwide.

But it is not all gift - gift about the plant. The Jatropha plant has hazardous 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 fatal to consume neglected plant. The seeds need to be appropriately roasted and dealt with before being utilized in any consumable use. Since it has actually ended up being feasible to deal with the hazardous content, the plant consumption has also been rising. To fulfill the increasing demands, the plant has actually to be grown through various scientific approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro proliferation. This permits for fast development and for establishing illness and bug resistant ranges of the plant. And a healthy crop will suggest more fuel and much better environment on the whole.

It remains in our hands to live in harmony with the nature, and it is our choices that determine the outcome of the interaction we have with the nature. If we pick environment friendly products, we enrich our lives. So, picking jatropha curcas can be the initial step in improving the wealth called environment.