The Mother Nature has given us innumerable bounties ... some we understand of and some that are still concealed in the deep secrets waiting to be exposed and waiting to improve our lives. One of these bounties is jatropha curcas, the physic nut. It is one of the most popular herbs and the term Jatropha is in fact a "genus" covering some 175 plants together. The name originates from Greek words for Iatros indicating doctor and trophe meaning nutrition. So physic nuts or jatropha curcas, from the kingdom plantae is being studied widely for it can be put to many uses in our lives.

To start with, is finding great acceptance all over the world as a bio-doesel. The jatropha curcas seeds can be squashed to get the oil and this can be utilized as a bio-fuel. The residues can be used as fertilizer or as a feed for electricity creating plants. And this enables a sustainable advancement. Not just the seeds, however the plant as a whole is well fit to fulfill the growing environmental concerns. And why simply the bio-diesel, it can be used as aviation fuel, automobile fuel and a host of other uses from other parts of the plants. The stems of this plant discover 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 excellent quality paper. The plant is, for that reason, being put to almost every imaginable use possible.

Though it puts the concern of having a sustainable 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 locations with a lot of rains. This cuts the burden on the water resources, allows water preservation and human effort too. Because the watering investment is just one time expenditure 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 basic words, it can be harmful and in severe conditions, even deadly to consume unattended plant. The seeds have to be appropriately roasted and dealt with before being utilized in any consumable use. Since it has actually become possible to treat the toxic material, the plant consumption has likewise been increasing. To meet the increasing demands, the plant needs to be grown through numerous clinical approaches like in-vitro and ex-vitro proliferation. This enables quick growth and for establishing disease and bug resistant varieties of the plant. And a healthy crop will imply more fuel and much better environment on the whole.

It remains in our hands to reside 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 items, we enrich our lives. So, picking jatropha curcas can be the primary step in enhancing the wealth called environment.