About
Eranda Mool is the dried root of Ricinus communis Linn. (castor oil plant, family Euphorbiaceae), a soft-wooded tree widespread throughout tropical and warm temperate regions. It is used predominantly as an Ayurvedic herbal ingredient in formulations targeting rheumatism, inflammation, backache, abdominal disorders, and fever, rather than as a conventional food additive.
Safety summary
Root extracts of Ricinus communis showed no acute toxicity or mortality at 2000 mg/kg and no significant sub-chronic toxicity at 1000 mg/kg/day in rat studies. However, the root contains cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloids, and the broader Ricinus communis plant is associated with the potent toxin ricin (concentrated in seeds); the root itself lacks authoritative ADI data from EFSA, FDA, or WHO for food use. No major food regulatory authority (FDA, EFSA, FSSAI) has approved Eranda Mool as a food additive or food ingredient, and its use is confined to traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
Regulatory landscape
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union) | Restricted | EFSA has not approved Ricinus communis root for food use. Ricinus communis is listed on EFSA's compendium of botanicals with potential safety concerns due to the presence of toxic compounds including ricin and ricinine across the plant.source |
| FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India) | Restricted | Ricinus communis root (Eranda Mool) is recognized under the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India for medicinal/nutraceutical use; it does not appear in FSSAI's approved food additives list. Use is confined to Ayurvedic health supplement formulations under FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, etc.) Regulations, not as a general food ingredient.source |
| FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States) | Restricted | FDA has not approved Ricinus communis root as a food ingredient or food additive. Castor oil (from seeds of the same plant) is approved only as a stimulative laxative; the root has no GRAS or food-use approval.source |
Who should approach with care
Research citations
- 1other. Castor Oil – StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2PubMed. Ricin: An Ancient Story for a Timeless Plant Toxin, 2019. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 3PubMed. Ricinus communis – Ethnomedicinal uses and pharmacological activities, 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 4PubMed. Phytochemical evaluation of the wild and cultivated varieties of Eranda Mula (Roots of Ricinus communis Linn.), 2013. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 5PubMed. Toxicological assessment of Ricinus communis Linn root extracts, 2011. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
