Ricinus caruncle promotes the dispersal of the seed by ants (myrmecochory). The name "Ricinus" is a Latin word for tick; the seed is so named because it has markings and a bump at the end that resemble certain ticks. The genus "Ricinus" also exists in zoology, and designates insects (not ticks) which are parasites of birds; this is possible because the names of animals and plants are governed by different nomenclature codes. The common name "castor oil" probably comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum, a perfume base made from the dried perineal glands of the beaver ("castor" in
Venoms in medicine Venoms in medicine Venom in medicine is the medicinal use of venoms for therapeutic benefit in treating diseases. Venom is any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. When an organism produces a venom, its final form may contain hundreds of different bioactive elements that interact with each other inevitably producing its toxic effects. This mixture of ingredients includes various proteins, peptides, and non-peptidic small molecules. The active components of these venoms are isolated, purified, and screened in assays. These may be either phenotypic assays to identify component that may have desirable therapeutic properties (forward