We use castor oil quite often here at StoneTree. But whenever we suggest castor oil to patients over the age of 60 we almost always get a shake of the head and a “No way!”
It’s no surprise. Castor oil has a long history of use as a laxative and an inducer of labour. But it tastes nasty. If your parents gave it to you as a kid, you probably didn’t soon forget!
Fortunately, we rarely use this powerful herbal medicine orally at StoneTree. Instead, we most often use it topically as a castor oil pack.
One oil, a LOT of uses
The castor bean, or ricinus communis is pressed to harvest the oil. This oil, a 3-chain fatty acid is predominantly made up of ricinoleic acid. This is the active ingredient responsible for the laxative effect when taken orally, but when used topically it is anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system by stimulating the lympathic system.
For a host of info on castor oil check out this article.
Because it’s so good at stimulating the lymphatic and immune systems, we often recommend it for ear aches, sore throats, stomach flus, arthritis, eczema, tension headaches, tight and sore muscles, and much more. Often the results are amazing, and the treatment is pleasant–add a little oil, cover with gentle heat, and then sit and relax for half an hour.
In many articles online, castor oil packs are described as very messy, but our process, outlined below, works very well without the mess of a “saturated” pack.
Castor oil pack instructions:
- Apply a loonie- to twoonie-sized amount of caster oil into your palm.
- Apply the oil onto the affected area, gently massaging it in.
- Cover with a white cotton cloth (this oil can stain).
- Cover cloth with a heating pad, hot water bottle, heated bean-bag, or any other gentle heat source.
- Leave heat applied for 15-30 minutes.
- Relax. 🙂
Repeat daily until symptoms resolve. Often the application of castor oil will resolve symptoms in one treatment. If you have done a pack every night for four weeks and there is no change in symptom, it’s likely not the tool for you.