Eranda Mool (Ricinus communis Root)

About

What it is and where it shows up.

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

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

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

What food-safety regulators have decided.

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

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Pregnancy — Ricinus communis has documented antifertility and abortifacient properties across multiple plant parts; the root is contraindicated during pregnancy per traditional Ayurvedic caution and pharmacological evidence.

Lactation — No safety data exist for Eranda Mool during lactation; the presence of alkaloids and cyanogenic glycosides in the root warrants medical consultation before any use.

Infants — No safety data exist for use in infants; the root's cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloid content make it inappropriate for this population.

Children — No paediatric safety data exist for Eranda Mool; regulatory bodies do not approve it as a food ingredient, and its bioactive profile poses unknown risks in children.

Liver Disease — The broader Ricinus communis plant is associated with hepatotoxic risk at higher doses, and individuals with pre-existing liver disease should avoid unsupervised intake of root preparations.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

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

Independently researched5 citations