Caster seeds have been used as one of the chief ingredients in a wide variety of medicine. Caster seeds are obtained from caster plants. Caster seeds are found to be rich in oleic acid,, ricinoleic acids, and linoleic acids among other fatty acids that are extremely beneficial for a person's health. Caster seeds are also rich in proteins, carbohydrates and calcium.The protein content in every 100 gram of caster seed is about 11.5 grams. Caster seeds also have 110 gram of calcium and 95 grams of iron present in every 100 grams.
India is the largest producer of caster seed in the world and Gujarat is the largest in India. The total area under caster seed cultivation in India for the year 2019-2020 is estimated to be 9.92 lakh hectare, up 29% against 2018-2019 estimate of 7.695 lakh hectare. The acreage is reported to have increased across all top producing districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra pradesh and Telangana.
