The Mother Nature has actually given us countless bounties ... some we understand of and some that are still hidden in the deep mysteries waiting to be revealed and waiting to enrich our lives. One of these bounties is jatropha curcas, the physic nut. It is one of the most popular herbs and the term jatropha curcas is actually a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name comes from Greek words for Iatros indicating physician and nutrition. So physic nuts or jatropha curcas, from the kingdom plantae is being studied commonly for it can be put to many usages in our lives.

To begin with, jatropha curcas is finding excellent acceptance all over the world as a bio-doesel. The Jatropha seeds can be crushed to obtain the oil and this can be used as a bio-fuel. The residues can be used as fertilizer or as a feed for electrical energy creating plants. And this enables for a sustainable advancement. Not just the seeds, but the plant as a whole is well matched to meet the growing environmental concerns. And why just the bio-diesel, it can be utilized as air travel fuel, auto fuel and a host of other uses from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant discover uses in basket making, ornamental functions, and tanning leather and getting dyes. The plant even finds usage in medicines for cough, balm ointments, tooth pastes, cosmetics and is even utilized to produce great quality paper. The plant is, therefore, being put to almost every conceivable usage possible.

Though it puts the worry of having a renewable 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 curcas plants tax our water resources. So, they are grown in areas with lots of rains. This cuts the problem on the water resources, enables water conservation and human effort too. Because the irrigation financial investment is just one time cost 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 curcas plant has poisonous content. It has lectin, saponin, phorbol, toxalbumin curcin and is a trypsin inhibitor. In easy words, it can be hazardous and in severe conditions, even deadly to consume untreated plant. The seeds have to be properly roasted and dealt with before being utilized in any consumable usage. Since it has become practical to deal with the hazardous content, the plant usage has likewise been increasing. To satisfy the increasing demands, the plant has to be grown through different clinical approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro propagation. This enables for quick growth and for developing disease and bug resistant ranges of the plant. And a healthy crop will mean more fuel and much better environment on the whole.

It remains in our hands to live in consistency with the nature, and it is our choices that figure out the result of the interaction we have with the nature. If we choose environment friendly items, we improve our lives. So, selecting Jatropha can be the initial step in enhancing the wealth called environment.